Mr Trouble
by IfOnlyThereWasAHunter
Summary: Mr. Helmsley is a math teacher at a high school. His sophomore student Stephanie McMahon and her fall for each other. It starts with a kiss and goes on. Adult language.
1. Started With A Raise

"Los Lomas High School needs new math teachers and my pay would be better I'm sorry sir, but I quit." I said as respectfully as I could to the principle of Olympic High School Mr. Johnston.

"I hope you already have a job, because you're not coming back here."

I walked into my new classroom on the first day of school, looked at the blank walls and sighed. "I can see you like things plain." A young woman, obviously a student, commented from behind me.

"Actually I was just thinking of how I should've spent more time here this summer. I'm Mr. Helmsley."

"I know, you're my first period teacher."

"Oh," I shook my head, feeling stupid. "What's your name?"

"Stephanie, Stephanie McMahon, but basically everybody calls me Steph." She said while she sashayed to the desk she wanted, front row center. One of her binders fell on the ground and I could not stop staring while she bent over to pick it up. My jeans tightened a little around the zipper and I crossed my legs to cover it.

"So uhh, are you good at math?"

"No, I just don't get numbers. Will you be offering tutoring sessions like the old math teacher?"

"If somebody asks for one."

"Let's go ahead and set one up, I'll need one the day of the first assignment. By the way, I have you twice, first and fifth period, is it a schedule screw-up?" I smiled, I got to see this beautiful woman twice a day! I chuckled while looking at my calendar, when I looked up she was blushing.

"Wednesday I give out the first assignment, I'll be here after school if you need help. Just come on in."

"That works, I TA sixth period, for Ms. Rasmussen just down the hall." The bell rang and Stephanie took her seat, I turned my back to her and wrote my name on the board. The tardy bell rang and it was still just Steph and I. "Is this a bad school or something?"

"No, I don't know why no one's here yet."

"Let me check my schedule and see what in the hell is going on. " I pulled the paper off my desk and read it aloud. "First period Geometry TS. What does TS mean?"

"I have no idea. Maybe we could use this time to get to know each other a little better." Stephanie shrugged and I sat down in the desk next to her. "Are you married?"

"No, my wife and I got a divorce last year."

"Oh, my boyfriend and I broke up last week."

"His loss," I said, my eyes covering her, taking in her body like it was the last time I would see it. "Why, I mean if you don't mind my asking."

"I broke up with him. He was constantly trying to get farther with me than I would allow." I choked quietly, but looked into her eyes.

"Are you ok? You look like you're gonna cry."

"I don't want to see him." She whispered, her head hitting her hands. I shut the classroom door and pulled her into a standing position. "I have the rest of my classes with him." I wrapped her in a hug, squeezing her lightly around her shoulders. "Let go of me!" She yelled and started to run for the door. I stopped her in from of it and she beat my chest hard with her fists, the tears started to cascade down her face.

"What happened? Did I hurt you?" I asked cautiously.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Did your ex hit you?"

"Stephanie, he did, didn't he?" I leaned on the door and touched her shoulder again. "Take off your jacket."

"Why?"

"Please, Stephanie you've made me suspicious, and I'm a mandated reporter, I have to take it to authorities now, whether I know the whole story or not." She pulled her jacket off slowly, the shirt beneath it was tight fitting, I gawked a little, her breasts were nearly right in my face. I signaled for her to turn around and she did. I pulled the back down , exposing a large purple bruise. "Does it hurt?"

"Yeah, a lot." My finger traced around the edges lightly, but she winced and pulled away. "Mr. Helmsley, that hurts."

"How did this happen?"

"I've told you, I don't want to talk about it!"

"Fine, we're going to the counselors office." I grabbed my keys off my desk and locked the door behind us. "You're not going to run are you?"

"No, I guess not." She sniffled. "Mr. Helmsley, I don't want him to get in trouble." We were coming to the end of the math hall when she stopped and leaned against the wall.

"What's wrong?"

"I left my jacket in the classroom. It's cold out there." I slipped out of mine and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Thanks." Her hand folded over her stomach and I felt a pang of worry stab my chest. My hand rubbed over the top of her shoulder where I knew she wasn't bruised.

"Does your stomach hurt?"

"A little, I, umm, never mind." I stumbled a little getting more worried. "I just don't know you very well and I don't feel comfortable talking about this to much of anyone." My stomach wrenched and I felt my legs wobble.

I had dealt with pregnant students before, but I had never had feelings for a pregnant student before. "Stephanie, was he able to get what he wanted?" I rolled my hands.

"What?"

"You said he was trying to get more than you would allow, was he able to get it?"

"Mr. Helmsley, I, no, not quite." She shook her head. "I managed to get out of it." We were standing outside of the counselor's office, waiting for the strength to go in. "I really don't want to do this."

"You don't have to, I do, and it would just help if you were there." I pushed open the door and stepped aside to let her in.

"I'll start crying again." I looked up and the office hallway and reached for her hand.

"Go ahead, crying makes you stronger." She gripped back and looked over her shoulder. "For a second, in the math hall, I thought you were pregnant. But now I know the truth, or at least I know that isn't the case." Mrs. Rada, the guidance counselor, stepped in and Stephanie dropped my hand. "Mrs. Rada, I have a student here who's having some difficulty. Can we speak to you?" Mrs. Rada shook her head 'yes' and held the door open for us.

"¿Qué problema?"

"Mi novio pego." I looked at them dumbly.

"¿Por qué?"

"Porque yo no tengé sexo con el, estava muy furioso."

"I don't speak Spanish!" I said loudly.

"I was hoping so Mr. Helmsley." Stephanie whispered. "This is embarrassing."

"Que? Tu embarasada?"

"No! Estoy avergonzade." She shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Never mind, we can speak English, as to not upset Mr. Helmsley."

"Ok, what all did he do to you?"

"Mr. Helmsley, will you help me with my shirt?" Mrs. Rada's eyes widened at the sight of the bruise.


	2. First Kiss

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

Stephanie and I had first period together alone every day that week. I learned a lot about her, as did she about me. "Steph, this has been the best week ever." I chuckled on Friday morning.

"Tutor and Study." She said softly. "I asked."

"What? I didn't catch that."

"Tutor and Study, that's what TS stands for. I smiled to myself; I still hadn't figured it out.

"Good job." An awkward silence followed my comment. "What are your plans for this weekend?"

"I don't really have any, why?"

"You wanna do something tomorrow?" I reached across the aisle for her hands. "Like dinner, or something?" She squeezed my fingers.

"Hmm, sure." She glanced at the door. "Is that locked?"

"I believe so, why?" She got up from her desk and checked it, before coming to stand next to mine. "Stephanie, what are you doing?"

"I've wanted to, but I'm shy."

"Wanted to do what?"

"Kiss you." I was shocked, I'd had the same feeling since she walked in on the first day and dropped her binder. I held her hand again, it was warm and sweaty this time, and yet, I wasn't disgusted. I stood up to hold her, my hands scaling her back before I pulled her close enough to kiss her without much of a downward reach. "Mr. Helmsley, I'm nervous."

"I can tell. Don't be." I pressed my lips against her cheek at first, trying to calm her nerves. They worked their way to her mouth gently pulsing, her lips were glossed, and I was sure mine were going to be pink. We held onto the moment, she pulled away, but I pulled her back, this time my tongue rubbed against her lips, nearly forcing entry. She murmured something that sounded like 'stop', so I did. "You ok?"

"I pulled away."

"I know, my appetite got the better of me, that doesn't happen often." We were still locked together, my hands clasped behind her back, afraid to let go, not wanting her to run. I leaned back down and kissed her forehead. "I know you're nervous, but I want you to know I'm not like Asshole. I'm not going to hurt you, ever." I pushed her hair behind her ear. "I won't do anything you don't want me to." I turned my back to her and started writing the next classes assignment on the board.

"Mr. Helmsley? Why was Chris never like that? You know, nice like that?"

"A) call me Hunter, B) your ex only thought with his dick. What's the farthest you went with him?"

"Not very, I knew if I let it go too far he wouldn't let me up." I turned to face her and she sighed heavily into my chest. "Mr. . . Hunter, can we still go out tomorrow?"

"If you want to go out with me."

"Like a date?" She asked quietly.

"I like you Steph, I really like you, and that worries me." My hand followed a pathway of intertwined scars. "How did these happen?" My mind wandered, automatically thinking that Chris had cut her.

"Some of them Chris, and some of them me. But don't get mad, it was over a year ago." She said sternly. I massaged her back while I waited for her to go on. "With some of them I was hoping to end it. I started right after Chris hit me the first time." I buried her head into my chest and sat down on the top of a desk so the nearly foot and a half height difference would even out. "My mom caught me one time, and took me to the mental hospital. That was the last time I did it. When I came back I was a laughing stock of the school for the rest of the school year." I kissed her hair and waited for her to stop crying. "It was worse when my dad found out. He was on the warpath for Chris. I'll be honest with you Mr. Helmsley, I did a lot of it to myself." My hands brushed against her back, exploring every inch of her cotton shirt. "Are you mad?"

"No, I'm concerned. I just don't want it to happen again. I would lose my job."

"Why?"

"Because, I would be staying at the mental hospital for going insane. If you did that to yourself, and came that close again, I would lose it." Unfortunately the bell rang and I stood up. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at eight, be ready." She smiled and sauntered out of the room. I jumped around with glee for about a minute before a TA walked in. "Hmm-mm, may I help you?"

"We've been trying to fix your ScanTron, there are only two students in your first period Tutoring class, throughout the term you'll probably pick up six, but that's all." I stared at it 1 boy, Christopher Jericho, and 1 girl, Stephanie McMahon. "The boy ditches a lot, but I know Steph, and she'll be here every day."


	3. Spending the Night

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

Saturday night at eight I raced up the front porch steps of the McMahon residence, she had called me the night before to tell me her parent's were going out of town and she would have the house to herself all weekend. Well, actually she called to tell me I could pick her up by knocking at the front door instead of texting her from a block away; I just added the last part on myself. I knocked, but the door swung open before I could step back off the porch. She was standing there, in what appeared to be pajamas. "Hi."

"Fuck, I thought you were my sister." She mumbled while attempting at covering herself up. I pulled on her hands lightly and walked in, kicking the door shut behind me. "Hunter, I can't do this."

"I know, is your sister coming by?"

"No, she lives around the corner; she stops by every once in awhile." She was breathing roughly, fear flashed in her eyes. I looked up from her white colorless face, glancing toward the stairs. "My room's upstairs, but, I don't want to. . . whatever you're thinking about doing."

"Your ex really messed you up bad didn't he? I can't even hold your hands."

"I'm gonna go change. Want the grand tour before we leave?" I nodded and followed her up. "This is my parent's room, it's messy or I'd actually open the door. Master bath, spare bath, my brother's room, hall closet, linen closet, game room, kid's room, balcony, my room." She opened the door to her room, it was pink and girly, the bed was a twin, there was a large mirror angled against the wall.

"What's with the mirror?"

"Oh, angling it like that makes you look 5 skinnier." She stepped in front of the mirror and melted away.

"You don't need to; you look perfect, even in pajamas." I walked up behind her, my arms encircled her, and my palms entangled her hips. She could still wiggle out of it, I wasn't on top of her, or holding her that tightly. My lips fell on her hair, puckering softly, her own hands pulled on mine, I relented, I didn't want her to think I wasn't gonna let go. Instead of pushing like I thought she would she intertwined her fingers in mine and stayed put, I rested my head atop hers and chuckled. "You amaze me. After all that he did to you, you still feel somewhat free with me. You have me in your room, you probably think we look cute together in this magic mirror of yours. Hell, you probably think we look cute together everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I do too. I'm just shocked that you trust me." With her hands still in mine I rubbed her sides, my thumbs working in small circles on her outer back. "What amazes me the most is that you're not running." She smiled widely in the mirror, let out a sigh and turned to face me.

"Let me change, I'll meet you downstairs." I kissed her forehead, afraid to do much more. After about ten minutes she came down wearing a white top and tight fitting jeans. "Ready?" She winked and swung her purse off the banister. I led her out of the door, she locked it behind me. We got about halfway down the driveway before she saw IT. "That's not yours right?"

"Wrong, she my girl, my pride." I stroked the gas tank of my 2008 Harley Davidson Softail. "My dad bought her for me, just a few months ago, she's got the new Evolution engine, the FLXH. I've been riding for years, my last bike got in a wreck, I wasn't on it, it was hit in the parking of a WalMart." I scrubbed a bug off the headlight with my fingernail. Stephanie was frowning a foot away from me. "What's wrong?"

"My Uncle was killed in a motorcycle accident. I'm not getting on that thing." she backed away.

"Wanna stay in, order a pizza, I'll run out and get a few good chick flicks?" I smiled, trying to soothe her. There were no other cars in the driveway, I didn't see another option.

"No, order the pizza, stay in, but we're watching the Cowboy's game if we're staying in."

"Wrong again, Man United plays tonight; if we're staying in we're watching real football." I followed her back inside; she plopped down on the couch right next to me. "Hey Antoine, its Hunter, the usual." I paused and looked to Steph. "Hold that thought Antoine. Steph, is there something you would like instead of the combination?"

"It's fine, if I don't like something I'll pick it off."

"Antoine, half cheese, half my usual." I winked. "Thanks bro, oh I'm not at my house tonight." I rattled off Stephanie's address and hung up my phone.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I figured that you could pick what you wanted off of my half and stick it on yours just as easily as picking what you didn't want off a slice that would still taste like whatever you didn't want." I slid my arm around her shoulders, careful not to be too dominant about it. To my surprise she leaned closer, close enough my hand could rest on her upper arm, and it did. "Do you know soccer?"

"Humph, honestly? Nope." She giggled. "I don't know; guess I'm not a Brit, or a Mexican." She laughed.

"Neither am I, I just like the excitement of the game, the scoring of it so masterful, the whole game is like a dance, the geometry that goes into it is exceptional. The way shapes are made that could never be redefined on paper. How could somebody not love it?" I turned up the game; just enough that Antoine would know it was on when he came to the door and ask to come in to see the score. I knew that tonight I would have to turn him away, and I would tip extra for that. But tonight was about me and Steph, and getting to know her without scaring her like Chris had.

Chris.

Chris.

Fuck.

"Steph, what's Chris's last name?"

"Jericho, why?" I shook my head and took my arm away. "Hunter, is everything ok?"

"Yeah." She took my hand tenderly, still afraid of a simple touch. The doorbell rang. "Hey Antoine, how much?"

"25.76, plus tip." He joked. "Hey is that the game, is Man United kicking some Chelsea ass or what, I was trying to listen on the satellite radio in my van, is not working." He pushed past me and stepped in to Steph's living room. "Who's this fox?" He pointed to her and acted like she couldn't hear him.

"This is Stephanie, I owe her a favor, bought her pizza." I handed Antoine two twenty dollar bills. "Keep the change, since I can't let you stay to watch the game tonight."

"Oh trust me, the fourteen dollar tip you give is good enough. Thank you my friend." I shut the door behind him and walked back to Steph.

"Hey. Sorry about him, his wife died last year, he's lonely. He used to take me a pizza after work and we would watch the soccer highlights. I guess I befriended him." I set the pizza on the coffee table. "Here." I pulled the plastic plates out of the box and handed her one with a slice of cheese pizza on it. "Anything you want on my half?" She picked off a few olives and laid them across her slice. We ate in silence. She chewed with her back to me, very self conscience. I pushed my plate away after 5 slices of combo, Stephanie ate 2 of cheese. "I'm stuffed." She started to say something, but closed her mouth before she said anything. "You ok?"

"I just don't know my boundaries."

"I don't either." I put my hand on her thigh, she laid her hand on mine. She was shaking, nervous. "Stephanie, honey. I'm not like him. How can I prove that too you?" A light bulb blinked on above my hand, a cruel one, but a bulb. I turned her towards me with one arm, proving how much stronger I was than her. She was white in the face again, breaking. I pushed her back with my chest, settled my weight on my forearms. Never did I kiss her, or rub my hands on her. Just laid on her.

"Stop."

"Ok." I stood up. "Held my hand out to stand her up. "I'll stop Steph, every time you ask me too. Every time." She was startled, a tear rolled down her cheek. I brushed it away with my thumb. "Do you trust me yet?" She tried to smile, but through the redness and wetness of her eyes, it was hard. "Babe, come on." I pulled her in closer, bent over to pick up the remote. I flipped through the music channels until I found a slow song. "Dance with me?" Her arms were tightly folded in my chest, sobs wracked her upper half. I tightened my grip on her abs while I rocked us back and forth.

"Hunter, he didn't let me up when he did that. I lied to you, and I'm sorry." I nodded, I couldn't think of anything to say. "He didn't get what he wanted, but he got close, I kicked him, in his crotch, I'm sorry I freaked out like this but. . ." She choked and laid her head back on my chest.

"Shh, Stephanie, you did right. I wanted to prove to you I'll stop. I wanted to scare you, not hurt you. I didn't want to bring back bad memories, just prove to you that I'm a good guy." I kissed her hair. "I think I'll go home. Goodnight."

"Stay. We can sleep in my room."

"Stephanie, what time are your parent's due back?"

"Tuesday." I followed her up to her room. She changed in the bathroom. I was just glad I decided to stop at the gym on the way over; I was wearing the shorts under my jeans still. She came back out in shorts and a tank; I was holding my chin in my hands, keeping my mouth from hitting the floor. I crawled in against the wall, she slid next to me. "Hunter, I want to kiss you, for everything you said downstairs." I kissed her cheek, and worked my lips to her mouth. "You made it all better." I lay butterfly kisses across her neck, while my hand lifted her to pull her atop me. I pulled away long enough to study her face, it still had color, she was blushing. I kissed her hand; let her do what she wanted. She started to shake; I let her go, my lips falling from hers and my hands rising from her hips.

"It's ok. I'll go home." I got up and found my way through her room. "Did I tell you I'm afraid of the dark?"

"I don't want you riding home in the dark on that murder machine. Sleep in my brother's room, down the hall." I turned my back to her. "Do you even know what color my eyes are?"

"Stephanie MaryAnne McMahon, who lives at home with her brother and parents, who may have dyscalculia, who will forever pass my class with an 'A', your eyes are green." I leaned over her on the bed.

"You're right, and you're a dick." She rolled over and pulled her pink comforter up to her eyes.

"Stephanie."

"Get out." I pressed my hand against her lower back softly.

"Princess, I was joking. The whole A in my class thing, that was me being a dick, I'm sorry. You're right. I'm really sorry." I sat next to her, my legs were getting cold. "I told you I wouldn't make you do anything, and I didn't. Did I?"

"Mr. Helmsley, I want you gone." She finally looked me in the eye, and could see I was crying, or about to. "I didn't mean to upset you, but that burned."

"Baby, I'm really sorry." I got up.

"You can stay the night, but not in here, and only because of that motorcycle."

"Ok, where do I go?"

"My brother's room, a few doors down."

"Fine." I turned off her light and stumbled up the hallway. I rotated the handle and pushed on the door. When it didn't open I leaned against the frame, the door swung open and I fell on my ass.

"Oh, Hunter?"

"What?" I grumbled rising off the floor.

"That door sticks."

"I noticed." I crawled into her brother's bed collapsing hard. I relaxed for a little while, but what was supposed to be a great first date with my new girlfriend wasn't going my way. About 5 minutes into my relentless tossing fit, Steph walked in. "Hi." I said to her silhouette.

"Can I get in there too?"

"Yeah." I rolled into the wall and she bounced into the bed as well. "Can I touch you or are you gonna yell at me?"

"I won't yell." I rubbed her back and ribs until my arm covered the lower half of her stomach and my hand rested on her arm. That was the best night of sleep I'd had in years.


	4. Caught Red Handed

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

"Umm, excuse me?" A deep, shocking voice called from the door. I looked up from my perfect position with my face in her neck, and found myself staring directly into Shane McMahon's face. "Mr. Helmsley?"

"Hey!" I said excitedly, Shane had been one of my best students two years earlier.

"What the hell are you doing in bed with my sister?"

"Shane," Stephanie pressed herself as hard as she could into my body. "Hunter and I are dating." She said as calmly as she could.

"I'll fuck you up." Shane was coming at me and I stood up. "Umm, gym shorts?" I looked down, suddenly embarrassed by my Tweety Bird shorts. "Did you fuck my sister?"

"No! He didn't. I got nervous. . ."

"You scared her!"

"Unfortunately I did. I didn't mean to, it had to do with what her ex had attempted."

"What are you doing here anyway Shane?" Stephanie asked meekly, juggling herself into her shirt.

"Mom and dad got into it, like normal. I didn't want to put up with it." he was still staring me down, ready to jump if I did. "Mr. Helmsley, maybe we should talk, alone, about the relationship you seem to have with my little sister."

"Yeah, give me a moment to get dressed, I'll meet you downstairs." He shut his bedroom door. "Steph, I didn't know that was going to happen." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my chin. Her fingers swirled over my chest, making me gasp with a single touch. "Honey, don't." I kissed her gently, aware now of the rules. She could touch me, I couldn't touch her. "Your brother's waiting." I walked with her to her room and slid on my jeans.

"I'm gonna shower, give you and Shane some time to talk about it." She turned around, I grabbed her arm.

"Wait." She turned back to me. "I'm sorry about last night." My fingers traced down her arm. "I won't make that mistake again. I need to understand how breakable you are. How easily I can hurt you, and how hard I'm going to have to try to not." I left her room and walked downstairs. "So you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, what exactly are your intentions with my sister?"

"I don't know. I haven't gotten that far yet. I don't want her to be a sex toy, whether or not our relationship climbs up a ladder is our business, but I guarantee that you'll know, probably before anyone else."

"How long have you been dating?"

"Honestly, two days. I wasn't planning on staying last night, but she was against me driving home on my bike in the dark, with a rainstorm threatening us. She was right so I stayed. It started out with both of us cramped in her bed, but I made her nervous when we began kissing, I went to your room, she came in later. I wrapped my arm around her, but it went no farther. I just held her while she slept. I think I fell asleep first anyway." Shane was pissed, staring me down.

"Do you like her, or is it only physical attraction?"

"I like her, there's a lot of physical attraction involved, but I think I've kissed her twice since we got together. She's shaken because of Chris, I don't want to scare her away." I picked up a pillow with some fringe and began separating it with my fingers. "I'm going to take care of her Shane, I promise. I know that my word isn't good enough, and if you want to chaperone us today that's fine. I'm inviting her back to my house tonight, nothing will happen. If you want to come over for awhile and be there, you can. I don't mind. But when it comes to spending the night, I'm going to have to say no. Steph and I need some time. I think it's good for her to see that she can trust me." I winced as I remembered my lesson from the night before. "Last night Shane, I did something, that she didn't like at first."

"What did you do?"

"She refused to trust me, so I showed her she could. I showed her my strength; I lay on top of her and pushed on her. No real force involved, just enough to get her to lie down. Once she said stop I got up. I just wanted to prove that all she had to do was tell me no."

"Then what happened?"

"I turned on a slow song on TV and we danced, really I rocked us back and forth and held her while she cried in my chest. I shushed her, but gave up and let her cry while I held her up. She was scared; Chris hadn't let her up, and beat her after she kicked him in the nuts to get him off her." I replayed the scene a scared Steph sobbing in my arms, my hands on her hips, moving to clasp behind her back. Her arms remained folded on my chest. "Shane, I'm not like him. I like her, I won't do that." Stephanie came downstairs with a towel on her head. "Converting?" I joked. She laughed back.

"Let me talk to Shane for a minute Hunter. You can use the shower if you like, it's in the bath connected to my room." I nodded and as I walked by I kissed her cheek. "You can kiss my lips Hunter." She whispered, I kneeled lower and did so, my lips barely brushing hers, afraid to see her shake.

I made my way upstairs and shut Steph's door behind me. "Shawn, dude I'm fucked. Shane came home, her brother, he caught us in bed. We were just sleeping, but I had my arms around her, and she was red in the face, from crying the night before."

"Sounds like you're right, you're fucked."

"What do I do? I like her Shawn, I really do." I turned on the water, it was already warm from Stephanie showering. "Her brother knows about the 'lesson' from last night that I texted you about. And how badly she freaked. I'm not going to hurt her, what the fuck do I have to do to prove that to these people!?" I took off my clothes. "Shawn, I'll call you back later, I'm gonna shower real quick, I think Shane, Steph and I are going to a movie later. I don't want to smell like I had a one night stand. You know, like I slept in a bed that isn't mine, uncomfortably, with a girl in my arms. That smell." I hung up before he could say goodbye. When I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my waist a surprise was sitting on Steph's bed. "Hi." She smiled, barely. "You ok?"

"Shane hates you, suddenly."

"I'd hate me too, if I caught myself in bed with you." I tried to make her smile, didn't work. "Stephanie, I can handle being hated by your brother, I can handle not being trusted by your brother, I can even handle not having sex for a long time, if it means I'm with you. That's all I need." Still wearing just a towel I sat next to her. "I mean, you're brother doesn't want to see Chris all over again, I don't want to see Chris ever in life. I just want one thing." I grabbed her chin between two of my fingers. "This." I kissed her gently at first, the passion heated when, shockingly, her tongue pressed against my lips. My free hand remained at my side, I didn't want the wrong touch to scare her off. Her free hands held on my arm, I pulled away. "You ok?"

"Yeah, is it true you want me to spend the night tonight? At your house? No interruptions?"

"I don't want there to be anything to interrupt, I want you to be comfortable, and safe. Besides, my bed's more comfortable." I stood up and adjusted the towel. "I'm getting dressed; see you down stairs, maybe I'll get you on the bike." I winked.

When I came down Shane was gone, Stephanie was sitting alone on the couch, hugging a pillow. "Wouldn't you rather hold me?" I sat next to her; we had left the pizza box out the night before. "What's wrong?"

"Why was this on my bed?" She held up a condom, in all its glory, unopened, a corner bent from digging it out of my gym shorts the night before. I took it from her, suddenly feeling as if I would collapse. "Hunter, I said I wasn't going to have sex with you."

"Steph, wouldn't you rather me have one and not need it, then need it and not have it? I knew I wasn't going to get any, and that's fine, what I got was much better, I just wanted to have it in case we went down the one thing leads to another road. That's all. I got it out of my gym shorts last night, before you started shaking." I twiddled it in my fingers. "I feel like we're both sixteen, nervous, unrepentant." I laid the condom on my knee and pulled Stephanie into a bear hug. She rested her head on my shoulder, aware that I was trying to do right by her. "You still like me?" I asked in a strange foreign voice.

"Of course, you make me really nervous Hunter. I am sixteen, you could lose your job, go to jail, not to mention if we ever decide to tell my father. Then you'll lose your life."

"At least in that situation I'll gain a plot of land." I tried. No laughter.

"Truth is you're the first guy I've ever liked, that I didn't also think was a threat to my existence. Last night, I shook; you let go and offered to leave. I said stop, and you stopped. I didn't think there was a guy out there that would do that. I found him." her hand fell in mine, she was starting to relax. "In you." She raised her head to look at my face, my eyes met hers and leaned down. I stopped myself, and kissed her cheek. "Hunter, am I ever going to get more than a kiss on the cheek from you?" I closed my eyes before rolling them and kissed her lips, she relaxed, and once again it was her move that strengthened the kiss. My arms had already been around her, but one pulled her closer. "I can still say no, right?"

"Always." I pulled far enough away to see her eyes, something in the way I'd touched her had scared her off. "You ok?"

"Yeah, go ahead." I kissed her again, my hands in my lap, she reached forward and held both hands in hers, I pulled away. "What?"

"I think this is too much too soon. I want this to last, not to feel like we did all there is to do in two days."

"What will we do tonight?"

"I don't know, a movie laying in my bed, blankets, pillows, snacks, a kiss or two. We can do whatever you like. I have videogames, magazines, we can rent a movie, watch one on TV, cuddle, or order a pizza again, I'm sure Antoine would love to meet you. There's only one catch."

"What?" She looked a little off center.

"I have to go over to my dad's and make sure he's taking his meds, my little sister called me last night, I missed the call, Shawn relayed the message this morning. I just need to make sure everything's going how it's supposed to go over there." I wrapped her in my arms. "I know you must feel like I'm introducing you to the whole family, but my dad needs my help tonight. I can go with out you and pick you up back here, I have to go over there first anyway."

"Why?"

"To get a car, you won't get on the bike." She smiled widely, I leaned back with her still in my arms, she was lying on her back on top of me.

"I'll get on the bike, if I can hold onto you." I kissed the back of her neck.

"Deal." She sat up, pulling me with her. "Let's go." She pulled me to the door. "I want you to get used to the leaning, so we'll take some back roads to a parking lot so I can show you." I pulled the extra helmet out of the bag. "Put it on, I have a hairbrush in there too so you can fix t. You will need to." I climbed on first, kicked up the kickstand and leaned the bike way over so she could swing her leg over it. "Put your feet behind mine." She did, clutching on my waist, white-knuckled. "Steph, we're not even going yet." I started her up, and revved the engine. "Ready?" She nodded. I unzipped the pockets to my jacket. "You can put you hands in here, and hold on to the leather, it's pretty sturdy, it'll keep you to me. If you feel unsteady beat your chin on my shoulder, I'll pull over, or slow way down." She whimpered. I pulled out of the drive. I took it slow, I had to go fast enough to keep the bike standing, but I went pretty slowly, especially around turns. The roads were paved, but bumpy, nobody was ever on them. "How you doing?" I called over the sound of the engine, which was loud. She nodded. Her cheek rubbed against my shoulder. I pulled into a clearing and stopped; I put my foot down and kicked out the stand. I got off, and helped Stephanie down. "You did well for a first timer; you even got into the leaning at turns." She looked green. "You gonna be sick?"

"I'm fine, you're a good driver." She leaned against a tree. "I can't feel my legs."

"Yeah, you get used to that feeling. I took a long ride one time, my arms ached that night." I reminisced for a minute, silently. That was the night I met Nancy, my ex wife. What started out as a one night stand ended up a marriage. I didn't mind, she was good in bed, as well as everything else. But she wasn't faithful, and I lost her, just like I lost my little girl.

"Hunter, you ok?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." I stepped closer to her, and held her hands. I knew the maneuver; I was supposed to lean into her, while she leaned against the tree, than I could kiss her, and whatever else was going to happen. But I also knew that Stephanie was different, and wouldn't let me. So I didn't. I kissed her lips softly once, backing off immediately. "Ready to go to my dad's? It's not far from here. 5 miles back toward town." She nodded; I think she knew that something was wrong.

"Before we go Hunter, can I do something?"

"Yeah, what's up?" She stepped on my feet and leaned up on her toes. I leaned back in and let her kiss me, her legs started to shake and I let her go.

"I can't hold myself up like that I guess. I don't want it to end yet." My hand swept behind her back and picked her up. My lips pressed against hers, not roughly, but just enough to startle her. "Hunter, I. . ."

"It's ok." I kissed her a last time and set her down. "Let's go meet my parents." I got back on the bike, and helped her up. "Got me?" She nodded again.


	5. Meeting the Parents

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

"Hey dad, it's Hunter, and a girl, are you decent?" I looked down at Steph. "Before we go in, let's make a story, you're eighteen, yes you know how old I am, you're not one of my students, and we've been together like three weeks." I laid my hand on the small of her back and pushed the door open. My dad was mumbling inside, something about the damned Yankees trying to steal the thunder of the Sox. "Hey pops, what's up?" I plopped down on the couch and cleared a spot for Stephanie next to me.

"Who's this?" He pointed.

"I'm Stephanie."

"My girlfriend Dad."

"Oh, You gotta watch this one." He patted my back. "So, how long have you guys been together?"

"Just a few weeks Dad."

"You guys do the dirty-dirty yet?" Stephanie looked at me.

"No, she's a good girl Dad."

"Well, he's not a good boy, Stephanie, he's had what? Like 15 girls in bed? Or is it more now?" I turned red.

"Still the same." Stephanie didn't look too pissed, she knew I was older than her and a lot more experienced.

"He even had a baby." Now she looked pissed.

"What?"

"Dad! Steph, let's go talk in the garage." I guided her to the door. It had been awhile since I'd been out there, my sister's bed was still in the corner. I walked her to it and sat down with her. "I was married, and my wife wanted a baby, I didn't, I knew she was cheating on me and I didn't want there to be a chance it wasn't mine. Life went on as usual, and one morning, not very long later she told me she was pregnant. I want kids, and I was excited, as long as it was mine. Life went on, again. And after the baby was born we did a paternity test, shockingly I was the father. I carried around little Jennie like I had nothing else to do with my life. She was so cute."

"Was?"

"She died, about a year ago, right after my wife and got a divorce. I was over for her birthday; she was jumping on the trampoline and fell. It looked like she was gonna be fine, but then she didn't get up. I was already running over to her, but when I got there I could see it wasn't good. When she fell she hit her back on a stone she had set next to the trampoline. Her neck and head were being cradled by it; there was blood on the grass." I looked at my shoes.

"I can see why you didn't want to tell me. Did she suffer?"

"She was unconscious as soon as she hit the ground. The doctor's say she didn't feel a thing." Stephanie laid her hand on my knee, I shuddered. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, it's hard for me to talk about."

"It's fine Hunter. Do you want kids one day?"

"Depends on who the mommy is." She played with my shoulder length hair.

"Me." She whispered against my neck. I pushed her back.

"Are you serious? I can barely kiss you, and you're talking about having my kids?"

"Later in life. I don't want us to just last a month. I want to commit to you eventually, and yes, have kids." She folded her hands in her lap. "Let's go back in to your dad. I'm sure he thinks we're doing the dirty-dirty by now."

"He probably doesn't remember we're here. He has dementia." I pushed back her hair and ran my finger along her chin. "Stephanie, I want you, even if I just get a kiss out of you and have to finish the job myself. I want something from you. An act of adoration, something." She didn't blink, I pulled her closer and struck her lips with mine. Her entire body winced at the touch, I didn't mind. "You ok?"

"Hmm, yeah." My hands were behind her shoulders, not touching her, very aware of the bruise that remained. I lowered them to her middle back and laid her down gently. I settled on my forearms and continued to explore her mouth with my tongue. I worked over her body with my hands, careful not to press too roughly. I managed to pull myself away from her lips and work mine down her face and neck. "I've never been past the kiss Hunter, I'm nervous." I shushed her and continued on my journey. I rubbed my hands through her shirt, under the hem and stretching toward her navel. "Hunter, stop." I kissed her forehead again and sat up. "Thanks, I'm sorry I couldn't go on. I just, I don't know." I used my knee to open her legs and settled all of my weight between her knees.

"Is this ok?" I asked, she winked. "I understand Steph. You have all the reason in the world to be nervous." I crossed my hands behind her back. "Promise me something."

"What?"

"Tonight, we compromise."

"About what?"

"We work out some boundaries, and you let me hold you."

"Boundaries? How so?"

"I don't want to do anything you don't want me to, I want you to not have to tell me to stop, I want to know where I have to." She kissed my chin.

"Sounds like you've thought this out." I smiled.

"I've never wanted someone this bad. It's hard to pull away sometimes, sometimes I don't wanna hear no." I rubbed my hips against her leg. "Sometimes I want more than a kiss and a feel of your back." She was turning white, freaking out. "But I'm trying Steph, real hard. And I'm ok with the abstinence." I checked back in with my dad and me and Stephanie left.


	6. Change Of Clothes

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6

"Hunter, slow down!" I was driving the speed limit, Stephanie attached to my waist. I pulled back on the throttle to speed up a little more. She was clasped on; I could feel her fingers through my shirt. She was wearing my leather jacket, it was cold outside. I glanced up at the clouds and continued to add speed. "Baby please."

"It's gonna rain. I'm trying to get us home before the rain washes oil under our wheels." At the stoplight I stretched my arms and held onto her hands until the light turned green, at which point I took the slowest start I've ever allowed my precious to go through. We pulled into my driveway, the lights were off, the street was nearly abandoned. "Welcome to my humble abode." I got off the bike and turned her to face my chest. "Walk in like this, so no one sees who you are. How young you look." I wrapped my arms around her waist, she pulled her arms as high as she could, close to my neck.

"Kiss me."

"My pleasure, wait until we're inside."

"You scared me with that motorcycle."

"I'm sorry." We stood in the side yard for a minute, just embracing each other, she found the only part on my body that cause me to spasm in an erotic tickle. And she tortured my lower back with her fingers. "Steph, Steph, stop." I felt a drop of rain fall on my forehead. "Wanna dance in the rain?" We held each other and rocked our way through my yard as the rain poured down on us. She laughed, but I took her inside when I could see through her t-shirt. "You can shower if you want."

"I don't know if that's a good idea, I have nothing to change into."

"You can wear one of my sweatshirts until we go back to your house to get clothes."

"You think I'm getting back on the road on that THING with the roads all slick? In the dark especially? I guess I'm sleeping in one of your shirts and a pair of your gym shorts." I smiled.

"Here, a towel to dry your hair, hair ties, a shirt, a sweatshirt, gym shorts, and a pillow case. I might drool in my sleep."

"I didn't feel anything last night, and you slept in my neck." I kissed the top of her head and showed her to my room so she could change. She came out, looking flooded in my smallest shirt and shorts. "I look obese."

"No, you look anorexic. It's a good thing we're not going out tonight."

"What about food?"

"Chinese, Mexican, pizza again, Italian, I'll go out and pick up something while you stay in if you want. It doesn't matter."

"Chinese sounds good. Just get whatever you normally do." I held her hand and pressed a button on the remote. It unfolded two shelves that revealed my other pride. A plasma screen TV that took over an entire wall. "Oh my God!" She snuggled closer to me, I nervously wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, Christmas gift a year ago. Mom trying to buy my love." She pressed her wet hair into my white t-shirt. It was cold on my skin and I nearly jumped. Instead I pulled her entire body into a laying position with her head on my knees. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping my shirt dry." I played with her wet hair, and began to French Braid it. I pulled my own two hair ties from my head and wrapped them both around her long brown hair.

"You can braid?"

"Don't you think I should? I mean with my hair having been down to my butt one time, I think maybe I learned." I studied my work. "Perfect, like normal."

"And everything else about you."

"Including my girlfriend." She blushed and hid her face in my leg.

"How old were you the firs time you, you, had sex?"

"A year younger than you, fifteen." I fiddled with my keys nervously. "It wasn't like what either me or her wanted from it. It was awkward; we both got dressed right away and left each other. We weren't ready and it showed. I think maybe we both wanted to fit in so badly that we were willing, until after it happened."

"And then not so much huh?"

"And then not at all. I didn't want to see her again. It's hard to look at a girl who you never talked to and picture them naked. It's bad."

"So wait, you guys weren't even friends?"

"She was a friend of a friend, we were introduced after school on Friday, and we used a basement of one of her neighbor's houses to do the deed. The couch was plaid, the walls were like yellow-green, and in no way at all was it romantic." I touched her abs with the slightest brush.

"I want my first time to be romantic. I don't need candlelight or anything, just to be ready, and the guy to want it just as badly as I do. I want him to understand that I've been through hell, and to respect that, and maybe even hold me when we finish. I want to be able to stay the night, so that when I wake up the next morning he's still next to me in the bed. Maybe it's just a fantasy, but I want it."

"You can have it." She smiled at me. "I know what you want now, and if it happens with me, you'll get what you want." I got up and called for Chinese, followed my orders from the boss, just get what I normally did. "It will be here in a half hour. What do you want to do?"

"Whatever you do." I shook my head.

"No, trust me, you don't."

"Is that all you ever think about?"

"No, it's just, every time we touch I get electrocuted. Shocks flow up my spine and I want more. Don't torture me like that baby." I sat back next to her and wrapped my arms around her. "I know where you're coming from, and I get it, it's just worse when I know that I could get in so much trouble just for thinking about wanting you. It doesn't help that I'm so worried about hurting you, or scaring you."

"Can't we just hold on to each other, fall asleep in your bed? Maybe kiss a little? Hunter, does it have to go all the way?" My hand roamed behind her back, wishing I didn't have to pull it away. I nearly willed myself to say 'yes' but shook my head into the crevice of her neck.

"Steph, I know that you're sensitive, I never have been. I'm the sex type of guy. I'm changing for you, but it's hard. I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to keep you around." My fingers tangled in her hair. "Whether that means sleeping on the couch in my own house, or hearing you say no ten thousand times." I kissed her with pressure. Once again the doorbell rang and I collected food. "Let's eat."

That night when we crawled next to each other, she was still wearing my clothes from earlier, I was wearing shorts and a wife beater. "Honey, can we have some noise?" I nodded and turned on the TV on a low volume. My arms locked around her tightly and kissed her neck. "Are you gonna be able to sleep like this? All up on me like you are?"

"Yeah, didn't stop me last night. It actually felt great to be so close to another person, especially a special person like you." My lips continued to wok down her neck, my hands wandered up her shirt, but stopped at her naval. "I know I'm going to hear a 'no' so I'm stopping myself. It's hard to do, but I will." She turned onto her back, I leaned over to look at her in the near dark.

"Why are you so caring? Do you really like me this much?" I pressed my mouth against her skin.

"Of course I do. If I didn't like you, you wouldn't be sleeping in my bed, with my arms around, with my hands in your shirt. You wouldn't be in my clothes, in my house, or have my number. I wouldn't be risking my career. I like you a lot Steph. And I hope that this proves it." I kissed her cheek and lowered my head back to the pillow.

"Thank you Hunter, for not being anything like Chris."

"Thank you Stephanie, for trusting me." We said goodnight and I dozed off happily.


	7. Tutor Me

Monday morning rolled around all too quickly after I dropped Stephanie off on Sunday. I decided to go formal that day, a suit and tie. Give myself a good name all over again. I was nervous. I had to pray that Chris would yet again not show up to my first period that he had with Stephanie and I. Not only because I enjoyed our time together, alone, but because I was afraid I would throw a punch of he did.

My youth had never been violent, but I never cared about anyone the way I cared about Stephanie, and after such a short time. Rush hour traffic was awful that morning at six when I left the house. I needed at least a half hour to get to school, and then a half hour there. And then a few minutes to stop for coffee and a bagel. It didn't matter how early I left that morning. I'd been up all night thinking anyway.

I parked in the back lot, one of the perks of being early. My room was only a few yards away from my parking space. I straightened my shirt and tie when I got off the bike. The ground shifted beneath me as it often does when I get off the bike in a hurry. My head was spinning from lack of sleep and dehydration. The temperature had increased steadily in the last few days, and it was 80 degrees already at seven o' clock. I unlocked the door to the math hall and whistled to myself. I didn't look down until somebody whistled back, startling me. "Steph? How did you get here?"

"I don't live far from here, I walked." She stood up and wrapped her arms around me. I kissed her forehead gently and opened my classroom. "I didn't do the homework this weekend. I figured I'd get here early and get your help." She sat on my desk and smiled. I locked my door, nobody was due to the school for at least twenty minutes. I turned back to face her and pressed myself between her legs. "Hunter, I need to do the homework."

"We have first period for that." I kissed her nose and cheeks before rubbing my dry sleepy lips against her own. She responded to my touch with her hands and lips, she was shaking slightly and I could tell she was nervous. I kissed down her face and onto her neck before her hands pulled from back "Ok, that's my stopping point for now then right?" She nodded, her eyes were watering. I pulled her closer into a hug allowing her to rest her head on my shoulder. "So, homework. page 14, 1-5, 10-17, and 31-42." I rattled about math and showed her how to do it. She finished remarkably fast and left me to prepare. She sat on my desk and watched me type up a worksheet. "I had fun this weekend, both nights. Did you?"

"I was scared, as you could probably tell." My hand rested on her leg while I waited for the sheet to print. "Hunter, how much trouble could you get in?"

"Considering you're a minor, I'm you teacher and we don't have parental consent, a lot. We're talking a few years in jail." Steph looked at the flooring guiltily. "But it doesn't matter to me. I like you, and I mean, teaching won't get me far, especially in California. The pay is low, the feeling at the end of the day is great, but I feel better with you." My hand drew a circle on her leg and worked up to her neck. She smiled, although she still looked sad. "Is everything else ok?"

"Shane threatened to tell my dad. My dad will kill us! All three of us!" I held her hands. "He's mean Hunter, before he got help he used to beat up my mom all the time. I'd hate to see what he's going to do to you." She started to sob as I held her.

"Baby, calm down. If your dad wants to beat me up its cool. If your dad wants to get me fired, its cool. The truth is I'm heading down the path to being fired anyway. I can see it coming. Somebody's going to find out about us and I'll be fucked out of a job." I kissed the top of her head and brushed her hair with my fingers. "As long as I have what I've got right here I'm fine." I pulled my body from hers but continued to keep my hands on her sides. "Let's take a walk." We went into student-teacher mode the moment we stepped out of the door. She walked with her arms folded and I shoved mine in my pockets. "Steph, tonight would be a good night to sit down and talk with Shane, see what he really plans on doing and saying about us." She nodded, her tears starting to dry, her face was red from crying, mine was red from embarrassment.

"Hunter, somehow, you left a bruise on my stomach. Must've been from having your arms around me while we were sleeping. But if my dad sees it, I'm in deep trouble." My eyes widened in astonishment. I pulled her hand to direct her to the back lot where I'd parked.

"Show me." She lifted her shirt, there was a definite purple mark where my arms had been only two nights earlier. "I'm so sorry honey. I would never do that on purpose. I must be stronger than I thought. I may have been dreaming, or rolling over. I, I'm sorry." My finger rubbed just the outer rim of the bruise, she didn't wince or flinch at the touch. She turned her head to the bike.

"I can't believe I got on that thing." I sat on it leaning towards her. "You're reckless."

"I took it very easy. Normally I am reckless. But if you noticed, I kept the bike standing." She smiled.

"Is that abnormal? Do you have a hard time keeping the bike standing?"

"I've gotten in a few wrecks yeah, but I'm ok. Everybody was. I've been stupid, and bad. Never drive a motorcycle while angry. You do bad things." I winked playfully and she slapped my chest. "What?"

"Tell me you didn't drive drunk or something."

"Oh, hell no. I'm a good boy, except when I get around you."

"I wanna hear that you're better around me." She stepped closer, I wrapped my arm around her and walked back to my classroom. In about twenty minutes kids would start showing up along with more teachers. "I'll help you write assignments up if you want." I handed her a piece of paper and chalk. She started to write some numbers and dates on the board, about halfway through she made a mistake. "Hunter, baby, can you hand me that eraser?" I looked down at the nearly white chalkboard eraser.

"This one? Oh, yeah, let me clean it off first." I walked behind her black sweatshirt and patted the eraser on her back. She spun around and wrestled it out of my hands. We were laughing and tickling as we beat each other with chalk and papers.

"Hmm-mm?" A voice at the door caught our attention. "I'm early, but whatev, I showed up." Stephanie backed into me and reached for the wall. "Mr. . . whoever the fuck you are, can you um, explain this to me? You hitting my girlfriend with whatever you're hitting her with."

"Chris." Stephanie whispered walking backwards through desks and pinning herself against the wall. "I broke up with you."

"You don't have a say baby, you remember." I stepped in front of him to block his path. "I'll fuck you up, get out of my way."

"I'd like to see you swing." His fist jarred out from his pockets, I managed to catch it in midair. "Try again." He swung out with the other hand, and once again I had possession. "Remember the first day, when you spent a little time in the office. Well, I turned you in. I found the bruises on Ms. McMahon, I watched her cry. I had to tell, but frankly, you're lucky. I'm a teacher here, or you'd be in worse trouble. And not necessarily by me either. If any of your class mates find out what do you think will happen? You know what happens to wife beaters in jail? Hmm? The same thing that happens to child molesters. You're dirt. You're dirt now. Take your seat and nobody gets in trouble." I released his fists and watched him look for Stephanie's stuff. "You sit in that corner, across the room from my desk. Stephanie, as of now you sit at my desk. Here's your makeup work Christopher." I pulled three worksheets and a written assignment from my desk. "Go on. Due at the end of the period."

Stephanie sat at my desk shaking. I pulled a chair across the room for me to sit in and plopped next to her. She would nudge me every few problems and have me help her. My hand was under the table, my fingers moving slightly around her leg. "Hunter, this one, I really don't get it."

"Hunter, huh?" Chris said from across the room. "So much for the formal look you got going there. Do all your students call you Hunter? Or is Steph special?"

"Stephanie and I have had this class alone since school started. I know more about her than I do all my other students. Yeah, she's special, but not in the way you're thinking." Stephanie folded her hands on the table, obviously embarrassed. I tried to keep my voice clear and hide that I was lying.

"Yeah, whatever, do I get the privilege? Huh, do I get to call you Hunter too?"

"Go for it, I don't care." My knuckles were squeezing the drawer under the desk.

"Cool, so Hunter, can I go to the bathroom?"

"Take the pass." He left the room, slamming the door behind him. "Steph," I spun her in her chair. "Kiss me before he comes back." She reached her hand behind my neck, wrapping her fingers around my tie. "I lied to him, so hard." Her tongue licked my lips and I returned the favor. Down the hallway the math hall door opened and we let go to stare blankly at the worksheet. My doorknob jiggled and a gray-haired gentleman walked in wearing a visitor's pass. "Can I help you?"

"Hey Stephanie sweetie." He looked down at Steph and smiled. "Don't I get a hug from my princess?" She stood up and hugged the older man.

"H-Mr. Helmsley, this is my dad."

"Hello sir, Vince."

"Hunter." I smiled held out my hand.

"Just came down to bring my little girl some money for lunch." He handed her a twenty and kissed the tip of her head. "Behave. Take care Mr. Helmsley."

"That was close." We both sat down again, head in hands. "Jesus. I thought we were fucked."

"Me too baby, me too."


	8. Checkpoints

My house was a mess, my bed sheets were rumpled and unkempt. Stephanie was grounded. I had no reason to clean. She spent lunch with me in my classroom, but seeing as it was school we had to be careful, my hand could slip behind her chair and I could hug her, but a kiss was a gift that took a lot to receive. Every so often Chris would ditch and her and I would have first period together with no one else around, but we were both tense after our little interruption that had caught us off guard only a few weeks earlier. I only had to deal with the loneliness for a few more days and she would off her restriction. I could feel her electricity from across the room that afternoon in my fifth period geometry class. I only had a few minutes left before the bell would ring, and I had nothing else to say about the assignment. "Due tomorrow." I added in closing. "You're excused a few minutes early. Leave." I joked and parked at my desk. Stephanie took her time packing up until everybody else was out of the room. "Steph," She came closer to me and I reached out for her hand. "I miss you."

"I've been missing you too." Her hands folded into mine, the perfect fit.

"I've got something to show you."

"I can't be late for English."

"It won't take long." I pulled her to the door, stopping before I opened it. My hand pushed through her lengthy flowing hair and pulled her up. The kiss was pushy, but we both responded wonderfully. "Come on." I let go of her hands and looked back through the math hall to make sure she was the only one following me. "Here."

"It's a truck, so what?"

"I sold the bike." I smiled mischievously. "It's hard to hide you on a motorcycle." She grinned widely and patted the truck.

"You didn't have to."

"Yes I did." I patted her shoulder. The first bell rang and she rushed off to class.

"Friday night, I'm yours." I grinned. "I own you." I had sixth period prep and I decided to leave. If Stephanie was coming over that weekend I would need to do some makeup house work. And there was a lot to do.

"Deb? Sis? Can you come over and help me with some housework? I'm lost."

"What you do without me?"

"Lose myself in dirty laundry. As it is I can barely walk in my place. There's fifty bucks and dinner in it, but I need your help. With more than the cleaning." A silence overtook the phone. "Deb?"

"Girl troubles?" She teased.

"More than you know. I'm in deep shit. Want me to pick you up?"

"Yeah, you know where to find me." I pulled on the freeway and sped to her exit. "So, what's the trouble?" She asked admiring the new vehicle. "This over her?"

"She didn't like the bike. I got her on it, but I'm missing some skin around my abdomen from it."

"What's her name?"

"Stephanie."

"What's wrong with her?"

"Oh, nothing. She's a virgin."

"You picked up a good girl? Since when did you go for that?"

"She's sixteen." I said disregarding her other comments.

"Sixteen?"

"Yeah, seven years difference."

"Do her parents know?"

"Not exactly, her brother does. You remember Shane, from Olympic. And we used to have him house sit? It's his little sister."

"How long?"

"Three weeks and two days. I like her Debra, I really do. See, the thing is, you know me, and I go far fast, she's been hurt, I can't move like I normally do with her."

"Does she mean enough to you to wait?"

"She means more to me than anyone."

"Then wait." Debra patted my arm. "I can tell you like her. Something in your smile was different when you started talking about her." My lips curled and I parked in my driveway.

"Home sweet mess. Please help me." Debra laughed and jumped out of the truck.

Within an hour Debra had the place vacuumed and I had my fourth load of laundry in the dryer. I ran to the store and got a frozen lasagna for dinner, like I'd promised. By the time I got home my head was spinning, Steph and I weren't exactly a secret anymore. My sister knew, and while she could keep her mouth shut it meant we were going to last, I felt brave enough to spill to someone.

The house seemed peaceful from the outside, but that wasn't the case when I opened the door. Debra was hiding in a corner and Stephanie was screaming. "Steph, Steph. Baby, meet my sister."

"This bitch is your sister?"

"Oh God, what happened?"

"She knocked on the door and I answered. When she said she was Stephanie and was here to see you I told her I was Debra and I was just going to finish cleaning and you would be home. I guess she took it that I was like, with you. Like _with _you, with you." I couldn't help but choke down a chuckle.

"Stephanie honey, I knew you were coming over this weekend, I wanted the house to be presentable so I hired my sister to clean it. I helped, but I'm not so good at this housekeeping shit." Her face got red and she leaned against my chest.

"I feel dumb."

"It's ok, you had every right to be suspicious, I mean last year, I walked in on my ex husband sleeping with some chick on our floor. I would've been suspicious too."

"Now, Steph, what exactly are you doing here? I mean, you're grounded, until Friday."

"Got off early for good behavior, but that's going to change. . ."

"What's wrong?"

"Can I talk to you in the bedroom?" I looked at Debra apologetically.

"Put the lasagna in the oven if you like Deb, I'll be right back." Stephanie shut the door behind us in my bedroom. "What's wrong baby?"

"My dad knows Hunter, somehow he figured it out, he may have seen where your hand was when he walked in that day. I don't know. But he wants to have you over for dinner, tomorrow night!" She fell backwards onto the bed and clapped her hands over her face. "What do we do?"

"It's simple, do I have to wear a tie?" I opened my closet and pulled out two different formal outfits. "I'm glad Debra organized this shit. I'll come home early and shave and shower, get all dressed up." My hands pulled her to me playfully, our foreheads touched while our noses found the right angles. Her arms extended around my waist while I worked for the same position. To my surprise she wasn't pushing away, although I was sure she could feel the heat coming from the material of my jeans.

Compared to her I felt so big, powerful. But beneath the muscles on my arms I was just as nervous as she was. I laid her back gently on the bed, doing my best to hold myself above her. "What about your sister?" My hand waved at the door, I was trying to pretend she didn't exist. "Hunter, we can't just forget about her, dinner's in the oven, here and at my house. Go take care of your company. I'll see you tomorrow morning." She rolled from beneath me and left.

"What was that about?" Debra asked while I reached for a beer.

"That was the farthest we've gone together. Thanks Deb, if you weren't here I wouldn't have stopped." She tried to read my face to see if I was angry with her. "I'm serious Deb, if we would've, I would've lost her." I crashed on the couch and swallowed the rest of the beer. "Why her?"

"You like her."

"No, this is too soon, too much too soon. I just lost Stacy!"

"Stacy divorced you and then killed herself. You hated her! By the way that your eyes lit up as soon as you saw Stephanie I can tell you care way more about her than you ever did Stacy, am I right?" I crushed the can in my hand and thought.

"She definitely means a lot to me. I can't stop thinking about her. Deb, her dad knows. I'm apparently going over there for dinner tomorrow night."

"Behave, and if you can't, and he kills you, can I have your fridge?" I threw the empty can at her playfully and stood up to check the lasagna.


	9. Roomies

Steph's dad was bigger than I remembered, maybe that was because this time, when I was standing next to him, it wasn't known that I was dating his daughter

Steph's dad was bigger than I remembered, maybe that was because this time, when I was standing next to him, it was known that I was dating his daughter. Stephanie looked gorgeous that night. Her red dressed ruffled at the hems and bunched around her breasts. I tried to keep from turning red when she opened the door and pushed into my arms. "Wow." I whispered against her ear. "You look beautiful." My arm fell behind her back. "Where's the family?"

"Come on in." She took my hand and guided me to the living room where everyone sat with a drink in hand, her dad with a beer, mom with wine and Shane with a clear soda.

"Well, if it isn't my daughter's math teacher/boyfriend! This is my wife Linda." I stepped forward and shook her hand politely. "Can I get you something to drink?" I would've killed for a beer, anything with an alcohol content to soften the nerves.

"A soda would be fine." Mr. McMahon looked to Stephanie who nodded and went off to the kitchen.

"Take a seat, anywhere you like, give yourself room to sit next to my SIXTEEN year old daughter." I gulped and sat on the loveseat that was directly behind me. "So do you like her?" My heart thumped.

"Yes, Mr. McMahon, I'll admit it may be the wrong thing to do. But I can't stop myself. Something about her makes me want to like her. I really do." Stephanie came out holding two cans of Sprite and sat next to me. I took my can and wrapped my arm around her, looking to Mr. McMahon for clearance on the move.

"Steph, princess, do you like him?" She giggled and pulled closer to me.

"Yes daddy. I know you're nervous about letting me out of your sight after Chris, but Hunter's great." My hand rubbed her arm. "He's perfect."

"Mr. Helmsley, you understand that my daughter is a virgin, correct?"

"Yes, and I understand that she wants to keep it that way. That's great, as long as she's happy."

"Where do you stand in that aspect?" My heart rate rose and my face turned red, I could feel the heat from the blood.

"I've been married sir, and no, I'm not a virgin." Stephanie reached across my lap and held my leg. "If you want the whole truth I wasn't a virgin when I got married. I had a child, we got married, got pregnant, had a baby got a divorce and the baby died. My ex wife killed herself shortly after. I thought about it too. Losing a child is the worst thing that could ever happen to somebody." Mr. McMahon cleared his throat and reached for Mrs. McMahon's hand. "Sorry to babble on you." I choked out and sipped from my Sprite. "It's hard for me to talk about."

"Stephanie, did you know this?"

"Yes, it was hard to comprehend. I'm ok with it dad. I'm ok with everything Hunter has done in his past. Including the motorcycle." I chuckled and glanced towards the driveway. "I can't believe you got me to ride that death trap."

"I did a good job at it too."

"You have a motorcycle?"

"Not anymore sir, I bought a truck after Stephanie explained that her uncle was killed on a bike. I wanted her to be able to ride with me, but I didn't want to freak her out. So, I have a new Ford F150, it's small, but in good shape, I can trade it in if need be, a family vehicle for later in life, or a SUV for traveling purposes. Whatever's needed I'll get." Mr. McMahon looked pleased. "I like your daughter sir, and I see us going places." She looked at me longingly, I wished I could kiss her.

"Well, Mr. Helmsley, would you mind talking to me alone, in my study?" I shook my head and stood up.

"Can I. . .?" I motioned to Steph.

"I'll turn my back." I leaned down and kissed her gently, no tongue, no pressure, just a lengthened peck before following her father off. "How long?"

"Three weeks, almost four." I swigged my soda calmly.

"Have you guys?"

"Oh, no sir. I'm moving at the pace she set. I don't want to hurt her, or scare her."

"You said you see yourself and her going places, where exactly?" He opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of scotch.

"I had a dream the other night, three weeks ago, when, unbeknownst to you, she spent the night at my house. She was in my arms and I had a dream that we got woken up by a child, our child." I paused and swallowed down most of the uncalming soda. "Nothing happened when she spent the night, we kissed a few times yeah, but she fell asleep first and I held her while she lie there. We were going to come back here and be supervised, but I still had the bike and she didn't want me driving with her on my back while the roads were slick. She used my shower, and I sat in the living room watching TV. She wore a heavy pair of my sweats to bed and a t-shirt of mine that flooded her. I promise you, I would never move farther than she allowed, and I'm easy at moving on, forgetting."

"You can't tell me there hasn't been a time you didn't want to stop."

"There has, but I stopped. I wasn't even physically reluctant about it. I'm falling for her Mr. McMahon."

"Falling enough for a taste of marriage?"

"Excuse me?"

"My wife and I are going out of town for nearly a month, I don't want to leave Stephanie here with just her brother, who's only here on weekends anyway. So, I think it would be good if she stayed with you."

"I can't, I'm her teacher, I could lose me job over it."

"Don't you think you should've thought about that before you started seeing her? I'll talk to your principal if anything comes up, no charges will be pressed if you get in any trouble and as far as anybody has to know, Saturday is her eighteenth birthday, not her seventeenth." Mr. McMahon sipped on a small glass of his scotch. "You're of age aren't you?"

"Of drinking age? Yeah."

"It's not often that I offer to share this with anyone, but seeing as I could get you arrested, I'll be nice." He poured me a glass and handed it over stiffly. I wet my lips with it, happy to have something trying to calm me. "Should I put her on the pill, just in case?" I choked quietly. "I would rather have her protected and not need to be than for you and her to go on and do something with no protection."

"With all due respect Mr. McMahon, no matter what the circumstance, I'll wrap up. Unless sometime down the road, after a wedding and a year together we want a kid and we're trying I'll be protected." I paced the room nervously spotting pictures of Stephanie on every wall. "My God she was always pretty wasn't she?"

"That's what I think. As does her mother." I picked up one of the pictures, she was kicking a football being held up by her dad. "She used to play football on a boys league. She was good at it, she hated it though. She hasn't played since she was like 10. I don't see her going back to it either." I set it back down and wiped dust off the frame with my finger.

"I promise you, I will take good care of her. Even if it means quitting my job." Mr. McMahon and I stared at each other silently for a few minutes and returned to the living room.

"Well, Linda dear. I found us someone to take care of Stephanie while we're gone." I grinned and wrapped my arms around her.

"Yup, baby, a whole month at my place, with me." I kissed her hair and smiled to the rest of the family.

"Look Vince, they're so happy."

"They better be. I'm trusting him with my baby for that long!" Shane choked in his chair across the room. "What's wrong Shane?"

"I'm gonna have the house to myself?"

"Yes, I suppose this would mean the house would be yours for a month. There will a combo lock on the booze, and we're not leaving you with a car. If you want to have a few guys over, go for it, no girls, no drugs, strictly BYOB." Vince stated a rule I'd wished my parents had set for me. "Steph, Hunter, we're going for a drive." Vince grabbed his keys and walked us out of the house.

"Where are we going?"

"The doctor's. I want you on the pill Steph. I understand that you feel you're not going to use it, but that amount of time sleeping in the same house as him, probably the same bed, things will happen, and if they go that far, I want to know that you were doing all you could." I opened the passenger side door for Steph and sat in the backseat.

"When do you leave?"

"Monday morning, after we drop her off, you are in charge of her until we get back. On November 7th." My head touched the head rest as I pulled Steph's hand farther back the console. I tried closing my eyes and pretending they were already gone, and Mr. McMahon wasn't taking us to Planned Parenthood.


	10. Sleepover Gone Bad

Steph and I had to wait around until everybody left before I could take Stephanie and her giant suitcase to my house. Once we were in the truck everything went to normal, her hand cautiously lying on the center console where I could hold it when I wasn't shifting. I played the radio, a classic rock station. I was singing along to nearly every song, while Stephanie was left helpless, having to listen to listen to my horrible voice. I pulled into my driveway and kissed her. "Welcome home baby. Or I guess welcome to vacation hell." I took her bag and gave her the key to my front door. "I'll get you one made when I get the chance." I followed her inside. "Stay here for a minute ok?" I turned her around so she was facing the door. I threw her bag down on my bed. "Ok, I'm coming." I put my hands over her eyes and guided her to my room. "You can open them." In the corner, next to my dresser was one for her. It was a lighter wood color to fit her girlish-ness. "I figured you wouldn't want to be living out of a suitcase for a month." I rubbed my facial hair against her neck and worked my hands through her shirt.

"Baby." I kissed her hair and worked down to her lips. My hands were taking it slow while my lips were rushing. It'd been six months since I'd last gotten any action and I had a beautiful girl that I was falling in love with in my arms. "Does it have to go all the way?"

"All the way to wherever you stop me." I hit the lights behind me and darkened the room. "It's ok, if you're worried about being modest."

"It can't go that far tonight baby."

"Why not?" I asked barely lifting from attempting at taking off her shirt.

"I'm taking the little blue pills." She hinted while I rubbed the bare skin that had, until seconds before, been hiding beneath her blouse.

"It could still work."

"How?"

"You would be on your stomach. The cool thing about that way is you can't get pregnant." I tried to unsnap her pants with two fingers, but the way they hung to her hips caused me to use both hands.

"Yeah, I can. And wouldn't that hurt worse than the normal way?"

"Well, yeah, but I mean, it would work out." I pressed on, holding her to me tenderly enough to let her know that she could slip out at any desired time. "If you don't want to it' fine, whatever, I get it. I mean, you're probably all crampy and mood swingy anyway. I'll wait." I buttoned her pants back up for her and worked around in the dark to find her shirt. "There's other nights, besides it's probably the right thing to do. I don't want to rush into things. One of us will get hurt." I turned on the light just in time to catch her adjust herself.

"I gotta use the bathroom."

"Hey, as of six hours ago its half yours for a month." I left her to do whatever she had to do and sat on the couch. I opened the secret door to the TV and flipped through the channels until I landed on Steph's favorite team, the Cowboy's, playing the Texans. "Baby, your team is playing! Hurry up, so's mine." I switched between her American football, and my real football. "Steph? You ok?"

"Kinda, I," she stood under the entryway to the living room crossing her legs. "I forgot my things at my house."

"What do you mean you forgot your things? Your brought your whole damn room with you here."

"I forgot my, ya know, THINGS." She jiggled a little bit. "Just, Mr. Helm-Hunter, can you take me to the store?" I stood up and grabbed my keys, it was getting dark, hopefully no one would recognize us. I wrapped my arm around her. "Thanks."

"It's ok, what do you need, I may have some?"

"I don't think you would have tampons." I choked lightly as I got in the truck.

"Oh, no I don't." I held her hand again, our normal position. "Umm, do you have money? Do you need money?" She nodded, under the streetlights I could see her eyes watering. "Honey? It's ok."

"It's embarrassing! I'm so sorry Hunter, I know things aren't going the way we wanted it to. But since I started taking this damned pill I've been all weird. I used to get it every other month, I wasn't expecting it."

"Steph, princess, I don't mind. Here's ten bucks, that'll cover it right?"

"Yeah, thank you." She jumped out of the truck and ran in. I turned the radio back up and started to play the air guitar. The song ended just as I got into the groove, so I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes. I was unable to relax, too worried about Stephanie, trying to make her feel comfortable in my house would be difficult. Her door opened and she hopped in. "You might want to leave, and fast."

"Why?"

"Mrs. Rada was in there." I backed out of the parking lot as fast as I could while still being semi-safe. "It's ok now right, I mean we're on the freeway, you can calm down." I let off the gas and reached for her hand. "She didn't see you, she was inside."

"Stephanie, honey, its fine. I believe you." I gripped her hand a pulled off the freeway. "I'm just, I want to be with you so bad, and I don't want either of us in trouble. Stephanie, I. . ." I paused. "Did you get what you needed?" She held up a bag. "Keep the change, I'm sure you'll need it." When we got him it was almost nine o' clock. "I gotta be up at six, what time do you want up?"

"What time do you leave?"

"6:45."

"Get me up at six." She carried in her bag and rushed off to the bathroom, I started getting the bed ready, at least for her. "Hunter, where do you want me to sleep?"

"I would prefer that you slept in here, with me, but you can sleep wherever you want." I pulled back the sheets and plumped my pillows. "Did you bring pillows?" She nodded and stared at the bed. "I gotta get dressed, you can use here if you want and I'll change in the bathroom." I grabbed a change of boxers and some gym shorts to change into. Stephanie looked through her suitcase, settling on a wife beater and some Happy Bunny girl shorts. I winked when I saw the pick and shut the bathroom door. Before long we were lying in bed together, I was trying to find the right angle to wrap my arms around her without squishing her. "Are you ok?" She smiled against my arm. "Goodnight, princess, sleep tight."

"I don't think I have an option." I took the hint, let up a little on the hold. "No, put it back, I like being held." My arms wrapped around her again.

My alarm went off at six. "Get up Steph." I wiggled her lightly.

"Hmm." She whined into my chest. "Shit, Hunter, get up!" She stood up and pushed me over. I got up slowly, still trying to catch my balance. "Shit!" She started to pull away the bedding. "The laundry room is in the garage right?"

"No, it's in the laundry room, marked Laundry Room through the kitchen."

"I'm sorry Hunter, I can get it out." She took the sheets to the bathroom and turned on the cold water. "God, I'm so dumb!" I walked into the bathroom, finally able to see what she'd been hiding. My green flannel sheets had a rather well sized blood spot on them, as did her shorts. "Baby, please forgive me." I took a step closer and pushed the sheets out of her hands. I handed her a towel to wipe what she could off her shorts.

"Look at me." She lifted her gaze tearfully. "It's ok Steph. It's ok, I promise." I leaned down and kissed her apologetically. "I love you." Her eyes fell into mine. "There just sheets, I bought them in the bargain bin. I have others." My fingers untied her hair from its bun. "It's you I care about. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, I just forgot last night, I normally take extra precaution at night but I was so nervous I forgot." I giggled. "Are you laughing at me?"

"Honey, it's funny that you worried about this. I was married, this happened a lot. Don't trip. It's ok." I turned on the hot water in the shower. "You shower first this morning. I'll get breakfast."

"Wait, Hunter, did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"That you love me?"

"Baby, of course I do. More than anything." She smiled. "It took me awhile to get out I know, and I apologize for that. I just, I get nervous around you." I walked out of the bathroom. "You can leave the bathroom door open, I'll shut the bedroom." I winked at her from the door.

"Wait, come back!" I turned back to her. "I love you too." I smiled. I took a few steps toward her again. "Baby?"

"Steph, your dad was right. We are happy aren't we?" I kissed her forehead and sighed. "Take your shower. I'll cook breakfast. Don't be long baby." I stepped through the door and paused. "Wow, love."


	11. Laying Together, Lying Alone

After a week things cooled down at my house. Having a girl there was different, especially since, unlike my ex wife, Stephanie wasn't always down my throat about something. I loved holding her at night, even though there was no sex. Every night we would take one step forward, but it seemed like somewhere along the way we were moving two steps back.

"Baby, help!" She yelled from the kitchen one Saturday night. In seconds I was off my chair and running in.

"What the hell happened in here?" I made it a point to rip the smoke alarm from the wall as I walked by. Smoke was pouring out of the oven, filling the room.

"I burnt the cookies, I can't do anything right." I reached in with potholders and took out the smoldering tray. I opened both kitchen windows and the door that led to the backyard.

"Yes you can." I took her waist in my arm and guided her to the living room. "Drink this." I handed her my water bottle to clear the taste of smoke from her mouth. She hid her face, embarrassed by a mistake I've made thousands of times. "Steph, it's fine, that oven hates cookies." She continued to stare at the ground until I took her chin between my fingers. "Shit happens." She lifted her arms to wrap around my neck, I felt comfortable enough to let go of her face and wrap my arms in turn around her waist. After a thorough deep kiss I began to guide her backwards to the bedroom. I was trying to stay steady, and beguile myself into remembering that I would have to pull away in just a moment. My hand pulled away only slightly to switch off the light in my room. Somehow she nearly back-bent herself onto the bed without breaking our kiss. I broke away momentarily to reach into my nightstand. "Are we . . . going this far?" I twiddled the casing in my fingers. She was silent, working her cold fingers on my skin while pulling off my shirt. "I'm taking that as a yes, are you ok?" I pressed my hands under the t-shirt of mine she'd been wearing all day.

"Take it slow, please." I tried to go easy on her, moving my hands as slow as I could while I worked off the shirt that swamped her tiny frame. My lips rubbed down her chest ending at her navel. "Will this hurt?"

"Probably." She was wearing sweats and I removed them nimbly. Her hands followed mine, working off my jeans nervously. "I'll stop if you want." I lifted barely, and only to kick my jeans from around my ankles. I knew that in a matter of minutes there would be no turning back, Stephanie only had a few more chances to back out. My fingers played with the elastic of her panties, aching to take them off. My hands rose to lift her enough to unsnap her bra, exposing her fully. She gasped when my hot breath hit her chest. "You ok?"

"Yeah." She stuttered, allowing me then to take the last piece of clothing from her body. I lifted her calmly to lay a pillow beneath her back. "Why?"

"Less work for you." I climbed above her on the bed, keeping her hips in place. "Don't tense up, it'll be worse." I held her hands while I entered her, she lie motionless. Through the darkness I could see her face contort in pain, I eased up and waited while holding her. "It's ok," She ushered me on with her hands; I went as slowly as I could as to not hurt her.

35 or so minutes later I rolled away from her, still clutching her to my chest. After fifteen minutes we both decided a shower would be good to clear the sweat from our skin. "Hunter is it normal to have to waddle." I laughed and pulled my shorts back on.

"Yes babe." I walked up behind her and kissed her neck. "I love you."

"I know." She giggled. "I love you too."

We showered separately, I was done first, of course Stephanie always took a half hour. I went in the bedroom to clean up our mess and take the top blankets to the washer. "Shit!" I nearly screamed, tripping over an article of clothing. I looked at the bed and noticed something was missing. My white comforter looked untouched, rattled and rumpled, but as though nothing had happened on it just moments earlier.

I took a seat on the couch once I got everything in the laundry and moved our clothing into the dirty clothes hamper. When Stephanie came out of the shower and sat next to me I didn't bother to put my arm around her or reach for her hand, I just continued to play with the remote and watch a rerun of America's Next Dance Crew, my hand shook slightly when she touched my leg. "Stop." She looked away.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know, did you?" Her chin quivered while she glared at the wall. "Baby, it's just that normally, with virgins, and girls as small as you are, there's a little blood the first time. There wasn't. I'm not accusing you, I'm asking, was I really your first?" Her head hung and she pulled away from me, settling on the other side of the couch. "Baby, I won't be mad, it's ok." I scooted closer to her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Maybe I'm just different, did you ever think that could be the case?" I rubbed my hands into her shoulders, working out the tense muscles. "I love you, ok?" I nodded into her back.

"I wouldn't be mad, especially if it was to Chris."

"Hunter, what if I told you my whole family has been lying to you? Would you still want to be with me?"

"It would take a lot to change my mind about being with you."

"I gave it up to Chris, I had to. I'm so sorry, just hear me ok?" I kissed her neck and waved her on. "He was at my house; we were in my room alone together before my parents knew he'd been hitting me. He threatened me, and I was scared, so I let him do what he wanted to do. The next day I told my mom and she took me to the hospital. He'd been smart, wrapped up. But he wasn't allowed to see me anymore. It was one time, almost a year ago. It still hurt when you did it, but I felt ok with you, like we fit together."

"I felt so too. Listen, Stephanie, I would never do that to you. Chris is gonna die the day he turns eighteen and it's legal for me to beat him up. It helps to know that though, now I understand why you were always so jittery, I understood that he had hurt you, but you had a bad experience in bed, I get it now. I love you baby." My arms tightened around her while she continued to sob lightly.

"You were everything I wanted, you were perfect, the way you could read me in the dark, like you knew what I was feeling, I don't know." I kissed her ear and leaned back, pulling her into a laying position on top of on the couch. Somehow we managed to fall asleep in that position, happy.


	12. Shared

Before too long the month was over, I was allowed to keep Steph over weekends, and three days of the break we had coming up. I was to go to their house for Thanksgiving, according to Mrs. McMahon. "Good morning Mr. Helmsley." Stephanie winked when she walked in the office one morning. I quickly hid what I was doing inside my backpack.

"Good morning Stephanie." I winked back and rushed out. When I got to my classroom I pulled the papers from my bag. I was giving my semester's notice, I would no longer be a teacher at Los Lomas high school after winter break. I filled out the forms, stating the reason as personal. My hand shook as I signed my name. I was sure about this move, I already had another job lined up, and it meant Stephanie and I wouldn't have to sneak around anymore. I stuffed the letter of resignation back in my backpack and got ready for first period, Chris was suspended, leaving me and Stephanie alone again.

I loved being with her, something about the way she smiled, blinked, kissed and knew when and where to touch me was so amazing. The bell was going to ring in a little less than five minutes so I popped a mint in my mouth to rid of the coffee scent and got back to typing the extra credit on the edline website. "Baby, what was the rush for?"

"Oh, nothing, I just have a little surprise for you, that's all." She sauntered right into my arms where I picked her up to kiss her deeply. I pulled out the letter and showed it to her.

"You're quitting? Why?"

"To be with you, I could get in trouble if I don't, and I don't want that." Stephanie smiled.

"You're going to do this, for me?"

"Of course. By the way, I won't be here fifth period, I have . . . an appointment." I kissed her forehead and walked to my desk. I knew she would join me, there was no point in calling her over.

After fourth period I left campus, my resignation letter in the principal's box. I was very nervous as I pulled in the driveway of the McMahon residence. "Come on in Hunter." I walked into the entryway. "So you wanted to talk?"

"Umm, yeah. I got a new job offer, working for an investment company. I've put in my notice at the high school." I took a seat in the chair the family claimed to be mine.

"And why on earth would you do that?"

"I love your daughter sir, and I want to be able to be with her without worrying about losing my job, or going to jail. I did this to be with her." Mrs. McMahon poured me a glass of water. "Thank you."

"I'm going to ask you, straight up Mr. Helmsley, have you slept with my daughter?"

"Yes, and I was careful with her. She told me about the past time with Chris, but I would never do that to her." I took a rather large drink of the ice water.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes, one more thing. Stephanie has been spending most weekends at my house, and after that entire month together, I learned a lot about her living style. I love having her around, and being there when she is. Mr. McMahon, Mrs. McMahon, would you be ok with Stephanie moving in with me? Full time?" They were quiet, stirring their cocktails.

"You won't hurt her?"

"Wouldn't dream of it. See look." I pulled my wallet from my pocket. "I have like ten pictures of me and her, I can't stand to go anywhere without her."

"What do your friends think of her?"

"Only one of my friends, Shawn, has met her, and he loves her."

"We need to talk, alone again." Mr. McMahon dragged me off to his study again. "Ok, I have a few questions. Some of them are kinda funny, kind of personal. But they're about you and my daughter."

"Shoot."

"At night, when she's there, and she says no, what is your reaction?"

"I stop, I wrap my arms around her, and depending on the time of day I ask a corresponding question, or I forget about it and fall asleep if it's late."

"Does she often say no?"

"Not since we actually had sex, but it does happen, if she's tired, or has homework, or a headache."

"When you guys watch TV, or are lying together, does she ever rest her head on your chest?"

"Yes, quite often. It fits perfectly, the right height." Mr. McMahon laughed.

"At night, does she ever fall asleep that way?"

"Quite often, and so does my arm that's under her back."

"And you don't mind losing sensation in your arm?"

"Not at all. She's perfect for me sir, I don't know if she feels the same about me, but I know we're very much in love. It would mean the world to me if you will at least consider it."

"No need to consider it. Stephanie tells me everything, she's talked about wanting to move in there, she even mentioned last week that she basically had, she had most of her clothes there. Is that true?"

"Last time she was over we did some of her laundry we have there, her dresser is almost full."

"She has a dresser?"

"Yeah, I bought it when she stayed that month. I didn't want her to be living out of a suitcase." He nodded in agreement.

"So, when she comes home today I'll tell her to pack her stuff. When do you want her in there?"

"Soon, it's getting hard to sleep alone."

"I like you Hunter, you're really taking care of her. I trust you. Don't fuck it up."

"Don't plan on it." My heart raced when he excused me to leave. I was gonna have a live in girlfriend in just a few days. I picked Stephanie up from school that afternoon. "So, baby, I have some news."

"What now?" She giggled when my hand moved from above hers to her leg.

"You're moving in, like full time."

"You're serious?"

"Yeah, my appointment was with your dad, to discuss it. He said yes. He also said he trusts me, which scares me."

"Hunter, if I'm moving in, can I get something I want? Something I've wanted for a long time?"

"Maybe, what is it?"

"A puppy." I glanced at her and pulled off the freeway. "Tell me you're not just dropping me off, making me walk or something."

"You'll see." I drove down some of the side streets.

"Hunter, you're making me nervous."

"Don't be." I pulled into the parking lot of a pound. "You want a puppy huh?" I got out of the truck and met her to hold her hand. "Let's go shopping." We walked in, with all of the dogs barking at us, hopefully.

"This one's so cute!" She bent down to stare one right in the face. It jumped around happily, whining loudly when she smooched. "I want it."

"Labrador it is." I got someone to help us and after twenty minutes we walked out with a puppy. Luckily for us Stephanie had picked one that was housebroken. It rode on her lap in the truck, happy to be out of concrete hell and be played with.

"Hunter, look, it's like having a baby." The dog was lying on her back, sleeping in Stephanie's arms.

"Good step towards it anyways."


	13. Dinner With Grandpa Vince

It got easier to look like we were a real couple once the mailbox said McMahon-Helmsley on it

It got easier to look like we were a real couple once the mailbox said McMahon-Helmsley on it. Christmas was three days away, a thick chill in the air, which I kept from hitting Stephanie with my jacket whenever we took Bella, the puppy, for a walk. We were inseparable, always together in some way.

"Baby, I gotta run to the store, do you want anything?" I yelled through the bathroom on Monday afternoon.

"No, no thanks." Stephanie opened the door and walked out with her towel in her hair, wrapping herself in a bathrobe. "Can you wait a few minutes though, we need to talk." Those four words were the last thing I wanted to hear from my Stephanie. I sat down on the bed reluctantly, leaving enough room on either side of me for her to sit down.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you love me?"

"Of course Steph, what is it?" She pulled an egg timer from her bathrobe. "Cookies again?" I joked.

"This timer's going to go off in two minutes, and we have a lot to discuss before it does."

"You're on the pill aren't you?"

"Hunter, that's not what this is about!" She laughed. "What, you think I'm pregnant?" I nodded, slightly confused. "My dad's popping in for a visit, he'll be here promptly at 5, to take us out, but he wanted me to give you as little warning as I could. In two minutes, the timer will go off, giving you five to get dressed." I fell back. "You ok?"

"You had me freakin' out! I thought you were, we were going to have a baby." She lay next to me and rubbed her hands across my chest. My fingers picked through the folds of her robe and touched her bare abs.

"You worry too much." The buzzer went off and she got up to remove her robe. It hit the bed, leaving her naked in front of me. "You need to get dressed, kind of formal. A tie." She slipped a dress on over her undergarments; her body still took my breath away. I pulled up dress slacks and tucked my white shirt into them. "Baby, can I make a decision?" I pulled her into my chest and kissed her deeply. "Wear this tie." She pulled one from the closet. I laughed and wrapped it around my neck.

"When we come home, I'm taking you out of that dress." I pushed my fingers up the hem of the dress, pulling her towards me while doing so. The door bell rang and I let go of her. My lips brushed her hair as I stepped away. "I love you." I whispered.

Mr. McMahon was standing behind the door staring dreamily at the mailbox. "Come on in." I held open the door.

"I like the names on the mailbox, I hope one day it will be legal." I patted his back, this was only the second time Mr. McMahon had been in my house and the first time it still looked like a bachelor pad. "Where's Steph?"

"Doing her hair I believe, can I get you anything?"

"Oh, no I'm fine."

"Take a seat, anywhere is fine." He sat down in a reclining leather chair.

"I take it you two aren't big on TV? I don't see one." I smiled and picked up the remote.

"This is our entertainment system." The wall opened up and the TV turned on. Mr. McMahon's mouth fell open. "Pretty sweet huh?" Stephanie came out of the bedroom with her hair up in a bun, and her little black dress sticking to every curve of her perfectly proportionate body. "Wow, you look, beautiful." She stepped forward and hugged her dad.

"You really do." He stated. "Well, are we ready to go?" We both answered and Stephanie took my hand. Stephanie and I climbed into the backseat of Mr. McMahon's car. We held hands across the seat, heading somewhere I couldn't see through the window. Stephanie and Vince talked about her mom, and her brother, the conversation was kept off me.

Until we stepped into the restaurant. "So Hunter, how do you like having a girl around?" He asked when Stephanie stood up to go to the bathroom.

"I love having Steph around, she's different than just a girl." I picked at my food calmly. "How's having her not around?"

"Different, quiet." He chuckled. "I have to ask, are you safe? I mean, with her. The only reason I ask, I'm a grandpa." I choked on a piece of lettuce.

"What? When? How? Who?"

"The baby's a few weeks old, she's Shane's. He hid her from us, didn't tell me until the little girl was staying the night last week and I heard her cry."

"Where's the momma?"

"Shane said she left him with the baby, he's the only thing she's got or some damn thing. I love the little girl, she doesn't cry all the time like Shane did, must be a gene from the mom." I tried to laugh, but I was stunned.

"Does Stephanie know?"

"Just me and Linda do I believe. Shane's very protective of her, I had to persuade him to let me hold her. Just promise I won't be getting any more grandkids for awhile. Please?"

"I'll, I'll do my best." I crunched on my meal. "What about Thanksgiving?"

"You need to be there, if only as a mediator. Shane's going to show the rest of the family. You're bigger than me, scarier."

"Yeah, that I am." I laughed quietly as Stephanie took her seat next to me on my left. My hand fell under the table to rest on her knee. She giggled when my fingers brushed her bare thigh.

"Cute, can't keep your hands off each other." My fingers moved back down her leg to her knee. "Better." We ate in silence, Stephanie was embarrassed by the comment made by her dad in the middle of the meal.

When we went home I did as I warned Stephanie I would do, the other two days before the holiday went by in a blur.


	14. Christmas

On the morning of Christmas I drove us to Steph's parent's house. She was dressed nicely, as was I, and Stephanie was nervous. "My grandma can't know how old you are. You can be eighteen, but twenty three no, and no drinking unless my dad slips it in a soda for you. But don't get drunk, I've never seen you that way, and I don't think I'd like it. My mom cooks a lot of food and will probably send a bunch home with us, if you don't like it, could you like fold it into your napkin, my mom gets kinda upset if somebody doesn't eat it."

"Steph, baby, calm down." I parked in her driveway and kissed her tenderly. "It'll be fine." We met in front of the car and linked hands. She pushed on the door and led me into the kitchen where her mom was fighting with getting the turkey out from the oven. "Whoa, whoa, Mrs. McMahon let me help ya." I took the potholders and saved dinner.

"Thanks." She turned her back right away. "Stephanie, your brother needs to speak with you, and Hunter, upstairs." I hugged her mom before making my exit up the stairs.

"Steph, I'm gonna hold your arms, I think I'm going to stand here too." I held both her hands in mine and knocked on her brother's bedroom door.

"Come on in." I followed Stephanie in.

"What the . . .? Who's this?" She tried to pull away from me, but I held her.

"Sis, you may wanna sit down." I pulled her to a chair and sat her on my lap. "This is Allyson, my daughter." Stephanie didn't fight to get up like we thought she would, instead she fell backwards, her head on my shoulder. She was breathing, and she was conscious, just upset.

"How old is she?"

"Three weeks, her momma didn't want her, so I ended up taking over. I don't mind, she'll just grow up to be a daddy's girl." He snuggled the baby girl against his shoulder. "Do either one of you want to hold her?"

"I haven't held a baby since my Sarah, let me at her." Stephanie scooted off my lap. Allyson felt warm in my arms, she was sleeping, her blanket wasn't wrapped very well, Shane didn't have the maneuver down yet. "Shane, did the nurses show you how to swaddle?"

"Yeah, but at the time I thought that her mom was going to be around, teach me to trust women." I laid Ally on her back on the bed and unwrapped the blanket. "What are you doing?"

"Showing you." I swaddled the baby, remembering how it felt to hold Sarah against my chest while she slept, or carry her around the house. I missed it, I missed being a daddy.

"You're going to make a good dad again one day baby." Stephanie whispered, reading my mind. "You did great in there."

"It's like riding a bike." I wrapped my arm around her waist and walked down the stairs. Her grandma was sitting on the couch, watching a soap opera.

"Grandma, this is Hunter, my boyfriend." I felt like a trophy, instantly everybody else in the room was watching intently, ready to pounce and clear dust.

"You look older; I see you picked one with facial hair. What happened to Chris?" I rubbed Stephanie's lower back; I could feel her breathing harden.

"We broke up Grandma; Hunter's a little older, 19." I nodded. "But I love him; we've been together since school started."

"Mom," Steph's dad sat next to her on the couch. "Stephanie doesn't live here anymore. She knows she's welcome to come and stay at any time, but her and Hunter are a very serious couple, she's moved in with him." Grandma McMahon turned red.

"You stole her away from her family?"

"Mrs. McMahon, I love her, and I left the decision completely up to her, I wanted her with me, I love having her around. But I wanted her to want it too. And since I was living alone, and my house has a spare bedroom, I figured it could work." Stephanie was blocking my chest, holding my hands tightly. She looked as if she were going to cry.

"Is there a wedding in the future?"

"One day, I hope. But it will be awhile, Stephanie should be out of high school, maybe through with college." I held her sides, she rested her head against my chest.

"Mom, I was fine with her moving out, I trust Hunter a lot." He playfully punched my arm. "He's good to her, they never fight. He even cooks." I laughed against Stephanie's neck, where I was leaning to hide. "But mom, I have some news for you." Vince said, checking his watch. "You are a great-grandmother." The elderly lady was up instantly with her open hands beating at my chest. "Mom, mom, it's not him." Vince pulled her to the couch. "It's Shane." Shane came down the stairs, holding his daughter.

"This, this is my great-granddaughter?" She was able-bodied in her old age. "Can I hold her?" Shane handed her over, guiding the infant's head into her great-grandmother's arms. "She's gorgeous, who's the mama?"

"My ex –girlfriend. She left me; it's just me and the baby."

Dinner smoothed out, Mr. McMahon carved the turkey, and Grandma McMahon said grace. I helped to clear the table. After spending dinner with me Grandma McMahon began to like me, even allowed me to kiss Stephanie under the mistletoe after dinner. Linda and Vince bought me gifts, against my preference, but I'd picked up a little something for everybody as well. Mrs. McMahon loved her earrings, and Mr. McMahon opened his 60 bottle of scotch in the living room, sniffed it and prided me with a 'good pick son'. Stephanie nearly fainted when she saw the diamond bracelet I'd chosen for her, and Shane was perfectly content with the 150 gift certificate to Babies 'R' Us. "Now, Grandma McMahon, I'd heard about you, but I didn't know your personality at all. I'm just hoping you can either return or pretend to like until I leave." She laughed, she really was a good hearted old lady. She unwrapped her present neatly, folding the paper in her lap.

"Oh my God." She lifted the leather bound books.

"I knew you liked her." She skimmed through the gold-trimmed pages of Jane Austin's _Pride and Prejudice_ carefully.

"You are welcome to be my grandson-in-law whenever you and Stephanie are ready." She leaned over and hugged me, a moment Mrs. McMahon snapped on the digital camera Vince had bought her. "I know why you think he's perfect Stephanie."


	15. Diamonds

Grandma McMahon left two days after Christmas, and Stephanie and I drove her to the airport. "You are a very kind man, but you need to learn one lesson, never lie to Grandma McMahon, she knows." Steph and I looked at each other questioningly. "There is no way in hell that you are only nineteen. You have to be at least twenty one, and you were right to hide it from at first, but now, I know you and I won't be nearly as upset about your age now. How old are you?"

"I'm," Stephanie squeezed my hand nervously. "Twenty three." Grandma smiled. "You're ok with that?"

"Yes, you are a wonderful person, especially with my granddaughter. But don't go giving me anymore grandchildren. I don't need that yet." I wrapped my arms over her shoulder while I walked her into the airport. "Take care of her." Grandma McMahon hugged me tightly. "I really like you Hunter, I like the way you care for her." I smiled and laid her luggage on the scale for her. "I'm happy for my granddaughter; however I can't say that I'm happy about your age."

"Grandma," I began. "May I call you Grandma?"

"Please do."

"I would like to say that if I were her age, I would still want to be with her. My age changes nothing between. When I'm around her, I try to act seventeen to even us out." We walked Grandma to the door. "Bye Grandma McMahon, it was nice to meet you."

"It was great to see you; I hope you'll be around next Christmas." I hugged the old lady. "Stephanie, you are a smart lady, picking a guy like him. He's smart too." Stephanie and I walked back to my truck.

"I thought for sure she was going to kill you, what changed?"

"What do you mean what changed?"

"My grandmother used to be evil. She hated every girlfriend my brother had, every guy I ever had a crush, she despised Chris, but suddenly, she likes you."

"I'm highly likeable." I patted her lag with my hand, it was the first time we'd been alone in days. Shane stayed with us so Grandma could have his room during her stay. "God, it feels good to be just us again."

"I know, let's relish it, it's just me, you and Duchess." I smiled; I liked her name for our puppy. I liked that we had a puppy, she tied us together. Not that we weren't already bound. "I love you." She rubbed my arm. The airport was a good hour's drive away from our house, and I had just settled into the drive. "I need to get my license."

"You have your permit right?"

"Yeah, of course." I pulled off the freeway. "What are you doing?"

"_You_ are driving us home. At least part way home." Stephanie got behind the wheel, shaking. "I'll help you. Put it in drive, I left the emergency brake off you, no hit the gas lightly." The truck jerked forward, but straightened out pretty smoothly. "That was good for a first timer." She pulled us onto the freeway. "Get over, but look behind you first." She got on, with no major injuries, and without causing any accidents. She ended up driving us the whole way home. When she parked in my driveway she sat still. "Come on, let's get out, let's go in." I pulled the keys from the ignition. I was at her side of the truck and she was still sitting there.

"Baby, I drove."

"I know, and you did it rather well." I kissed her, leaning in through the door. "Maybe I should reward you for passing." I pulled her hands, nearly lifting her out of the car. I carried her into the house bridal style and kicked the door shut behind me. She giggled when I locked it behind me. "No one is interrupting us right now." Our bed had all of our clothes on it from laundry, and the couch smelled like Shane. "Do you want me to kill the clothes?" I pushed some of them onto the floor and threw some of them onto the chair and dresser next to the bed. I laid her back and crawled above her. Our clothes separated from our bodies with no effort. I whispered into her ear unintelligibly, my body pressed against hers roughly. I reached for the drawer, it was empty. I had no protection. "You're still on the pill right?" She nodded, lifting up to kiss my chest. Somehow over the short amount of time we'd been active she'd grown to be so comfortable with me.

Later that evening I cooked, and Stephanie and I lay in bed and watched some of the news. It was boring, Christmas-return car accidents, and a lost puppy found her way home. Our puppy was sleeping at the foot of the bed. Stephanie rubbed her back with her toes and leaned into my chest. "I can't believe I'm not going to see you throughout the day at school anymore."

"I'll still have lunch at the same time as you. I'll pick you up a few times a week. The cool thing, we don't have to be secret anymore." She was wearing my shirt, and a pair of underwear, I held onto her while we watched the commercials. "You know why I asked what I asked don't you?"

"About the pill?"

"Yeah."

"Kinda, I think."

"I didn't have anything, we must've not worried about buying rubbers since Shane was here, cause I didn't have one."

"Does that mean . . . am I going to end up pregnant?"

"Steph, you're on the pill, taking it every day, so probably not. But, if you so, I love you, and I'll love the baby." I kissed her forehead. "It's late."

"I know." She was flustered, red in the face. "I'm just really not ready for parenthood." I pulled the blankets around us and allowed her to settle her head on my arm.

"It's ok; I don't think anything will happen. We're safe." I switched out the light and handed her the remote. "Goodnight baby."

A week went by, it was the day before Stephanie went back to school and I started at my new job. I ran out to get dinner, I didn't feel like cooking. When I came home Stephanie bombarded me at the door. "What is it?" She was happy, but confused. "Baby, are you ok?"

"I started my period." I kissed her head. "I'm not pregnant."

"I figured you wouldn't be." I laid the food on the counter. "Do you want to have kids ever one day?"

"Yes, but not now. I want us to have some alone time, some us time." She was standing behind me, stretching to reach her arms around me. I lifted my arm so she could peek her head through. "Later in life I promise you a kid, maybe two, who knows." I wrapped her in my arms and pulled her in front of me. "Hunter, my dad called for you, said he wanted to talk to you."

"I'll call him back." We ate and talked, after dinner we had my friend Shawn and his wife Rebecca over to play cards. I kicked their butts and made fifty bucks, which I handed right to Stephanie, she would spend it anyway.

The next afternoon on my lunch break I called Vince back; he wanted me to come over for one of his chats. I picked Steph up from school a little later and took her with me. "I don't know what he wants to talk about." I stated with Stephanie in the passenger seat. "But I figured you could hang out with your mom while I figure it all out." I parked in the street and walked in holding Stephanie's hand. "Hey, Vince."

"Hello Hunter, hello princess." He shook my hand and hugged his daughter. "We need to talk Hunter, but not in my study this time, you and I are leaving. Stephanie, go on and see where your mother is. I promise to bring him back." We walked out to Vince's car, he got behind the wheel and drove away.

"What's this about Mr. M?"

"You don't have to give it to her right off, but I came into some money and I want to se that my daughter's engagement is taken care of." My mouth fell open. "I know, it sounds pushy, and I'm telling you not to give it to her until you want to, if you ever want to. I just want you to have the opportunity."

"I don't want you paying for our engagement ring."

"You'll be making the payments to me, after you give it to her. I just came into some BIG money. I'm doing a lot. I already pay for Shane's apartment now. It's ok, I want to do something for you. I see you two getting married."

"Take me back Mr. McMahon."

"Why, Hunter, I'm just trying to be nice."

"Because, I don't need it."

"Are you not proposing to her? Is she just a time killer?" I was infuriated, but I was trying hard to cover up.

"I already have one." I pulled the box from my pocket. "I was planning on asking you about proposing to her." He pulled over in the parking lot of a grocery store. I opened the box for him to see the ring. "It was my mom's. She gave it to me after my dad went a little crazy and she started to date again." The ring was white gold, diamond studded, with a princess cut diamond in the center. "Is it ok with you?"

"Oh my God." Vince managed. "It's fine." He took us home. I don't know if it was out of embarrassment, or out of joy, but he was pretty quiet the rest of the way home. Stephanie was ready to go when we got back, and we went home.

"What did my dad want?"

"To buy us an engagement ring." I snuggled against her on the couch.

"You're kidding!"

"He didn't need to, it's all good."

"Why didn't he need to?" She sounded worried, kind of upset.

"Cause I already have one for you." I kissed her cheek and pulled her closer, she was half on my lap. "I want to marry you Stephanie, I was excited about going over to your dad's to ask him about proposing to you, when he brought up his idea." She was staring at me intently, still a little worried. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just wondering why the ring isn't on my finger yet." I pulled her up to her feet and hugged her.

"Can I get a kiss?" She lifted her chin to kiss me, and I dropped to one knee. "After living with you for a few four months, and loving you since the moment we meant, I think its time that we bring that love to the next level. So, Stephanie, will you be my wife?" She smiled, and a few tears dripped onto her cheeks.

"Yes." I stood up and kissed her deeply. We carried on and had some fun of our own that night.


	16. Easter Anorexia

The engagement was announced to Steph's parent's just a few days later with only two stipulations, we tell Grandma McMahon, and we wait until she graduates, two years away. Grandma was coming out for Easter again, so we waited around with our nerves on end until she came back. Shawn was very excited to hear we were planning a wedding, and his wife was eager to help Stephanie with some of the plans. We had set a date for the wedding, July 19 of the following year.

A week before Easter, Grandma called, she was flying in early; Steph and I were to pick her up on Wednesday afternoon. Steph got nervous, and cleaned everything, Grandma wanted to stay with us this time, because we had the spare bedroom. "Hunter, she's going to freak, the ring, it's huge, you are different in your house, and these walls they aren't exactly thick."

"Steph, what have I told you a thousand times about freaking out? Calm down, we only have two days to fix things up. I'll clean the living room, you get the bedroom, and I'll call Deb to do the kitchen, problem solved." I started picking things up from the living room; Stephanie was a stickler about keeping things clean, so most of the time things were. I vacuumed and dusted, Steph cleaned the spare bedroom, even bought new bedding (with her dad's money) for her grandma to sleep on.

On Wednesday the moment we were awaiting, Grandma came out of the airport excitedly. Stephanie gave up her seat in the front for Grandma. "There was a guy next to me on the plane who snored loudly." Grandma laughed. "I swear she sounded just like that!" I chuckled at her imitation of the lady who had been standing next to her while she waited on us to arrive. She turned in her chair to see Stephanie, who quickly hid her ring. "So how are things with you Stephanie? Hunter treating you right?"

"Yes, he's treating me perfectly." She smiled. "We fixed up the spare bedroom for you. I put some flowers in there this morning."

"Thank you, you spoil me."

"We were thinking about spoiling you more, taking you to lunch." I patted the older lady's hand. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere's fine, I'm starving though." I drove us to a little diner and walked Grandma in, she commented on how cute it was that Steph held my hand.

"So Grandma, you know that Hunter and I have been together for a long time, and living together for most of that time. I know we moved a little fast, but we're speeding again. She held out her left hand while I reached around her waist and gripped at her ribs.

"Wow," Grandma McMahon eyed the ring and met my nervous gaze. "I knew you would take of her." I kissed Stephanie lightly there at the table "She'll be a beautiful bride." Stephanie and I weren't all that hungry, so we shared a lunch plate. Grandma could eat, to my surprise. "So, have you set a date?"

"Yes, but it's over a year away." I answered, pushing my plate away. "You're on the guest list, don't worry." I joked, my grip tightening around Stephanie. "We should get going." I paid the tab, Grandma climbed in the backseat, against my wishes.

Stephanie and I held hands like normal while I drove. When I peeked through the rearview mirror Grandma was eying our hands, smiling.

Easter Sunday morning we carpooled to the McMahon's residence. Stephanie was wearing a dress, as was Grandma. I struggled with my tie in the truck, step-by-step tying it at stoplights and stop signs. Stephanie giggled every time I messed up and swore under my breath. Grandma McMahon heard every word, but shrugged it off. Vince was waiting for us in the driveway, holding Allyson. I parked on the street and finished with my tie. Stephanie and I joined hands and met up with Grandma and Vince on the porch. Allyson was all smiles and giggles holding a pacifier in her hand. "Isn't she cute Hunter?" I nodded and patted the baby's foot. The house was warm from the oven having been on all morning; Mrs. McMahon was working out air bubbles in a pie crust. "Hi, mom." Stephanie hugged her mom, whose hands never lifted from the rolling pin.

"Grab an apron, I could use some help." Stephanie unraveled herself from my arms and slipped an apron over her head, I tied the ribbon for her, kissing her neck while doing so. "I saw that."

"Mom, you do remember that we're engaged don't you?"

"Just peel potatoes." Stephanie winced and grabbed a vegetable peeler.

"Want some more help Mrs. McMahon; I'd be happy to do whatever you need done."

"You go on out with the men, I'm sure Shane could use your help with Allyson, he's always looking for someone to help with her." I backed out of the kitchen before Linda could beat me with that rolling pin.

"I was kicked out of the kitchen."

"Welcome to the family." Shane joked. "Would you mind holding her while I run to the bathroom?" I took Allyson and sat down on the couch. The TV was set to the Disney channel, and since it was early in the day it was still the Playhouse portion of the channel. Allyson wasn't even in the slightest entertained by the cartoons; she was playing with my hair in one hand and her binkey in the other. Shane came back a few minutes later.

"Why don't you relax for awhile man, sit down, or go visit with the family. I'll watch her." Shane fell onto the couch. "It's been awhile since I've had a baby this close." Allyson cooed into my shoulder with my hair still wrapped in her hand.

"I think she likes you."

"She likes my hair, and my tie." Ally's eyes started to lower, her hand released from my hair.

"Is she sleeping?" I nodded quietly. I flipped through the ESPN channels and eyed some pre-season baseball. "Does Stephanie want kids?"

"One day." I whispered.

"Do you?"

"Very much so." I let go with one hand of Ally, leaving her to rest on my left arm. Shane gave me a look like I was precariously dangling his child from a tree. "She's fine Shane." I took a second to remember how protective I'd been of Sarah and replaced my other arm. "I think Stephanie is worried about us having a baby, and it being like a replacement baby to me. Which would never happen, I loved Sarah, I still think about her, still love her, but just like Stephanie and Stacy are different, our child and Sarah will be different. You know?"

"Hunter, honestly, I don't. I've never been married. I don't plan on having other children, or losing Ally. But I get what you've been through, and I trust that you wouldn't hurt my sister that way." Shane pulled one of Ally's toys from between the couch cushions. "I'm still having a hard time believing that you guys are engaged. How was she when you proposed?"

"Joyous. I had to hold her up at one point, she was gonna fall over."

"Do you love her?"

"Shane, I've never loved anybody as much as I love your sister." I smoothed out Ally's blanket with one hand and switched the direction she was lying in. Shane was smiling when I turned around.

"Good to hear." I handed Allyson back to him. "It's probably safe to go back in the kitchen if you want to." I stretched out and cautiously stepped into the hen pen. Linda was sitting down, sipping a glass of lemonade, Stephanie was finishing up the last potato and dropping it in a pot to boil.

"Hey baby." She whispered. "I'm almost done." She rinsed out the sink and dried her hands. "Can you untie me?" I pulled on the two strings, wanting to pull her to me for a good kiss, but knowing that Mrs. McMahon would rip me a new one if I did so. "Mom, I'm gonna go out to the living room, if you need me just holler." She took my hand and nearly pulled me from the kitchen. "She really doesn't like you." She whispered in the living room. "She tried to talk me out of getting married to you. She thinks I'm too young, and you're too experienced." I looked up at the doorframe, we were standing where the mistletoe had been months before at Christmas. I pulled her close against my chest and leaned down. After a few seconds we parted, her eyes still closed from the heat of the kiss.

"Princess, I don't care what she says, it's your decision, I care what you say. If you don't want me, I'll leave, but no less than you telling me to leave will get rid of me." She was skinny, smaller than usual, my hands spanned her back, feeling the protrusions of her spine. I thought about it, and decided I would let the confrontation go until we got home, until I could hold her back from leaving. "I love you baby." She wrapped her arm through mine, we mingled with her family, it was the first time I'd met some of them, just the ones that weren't there at Christmas.

At home Grandma went off for a nap before she started packing for her flight later that evening, Steph and I decided we would do the same. "Hunter, can you hand me those Motrin?" I leaned over the sink and grabbed the pills from the top shelf. I popped the bottle open and peered inside. "What are you doing?"

"Your mom gave me a headache." Two caplets fell into my hand. "But these won't help that will they?" The pills were obviously not Motrin, they looked like a laxative, something she could be using to lose the weight. "You're not taking any of these." I flushed the entire content of the bottle down the toilet. "Let's go lay down."

"Hunter, why are you being mean?" She laid down as far away from me as she could.

"Let's show you." I pulled a picture of us from my wallet, one of the first ones of us together. "See a weight difference? Stephanie this rail thin, skinny thing isn't healthy. I know you're eating, but between those pills, and whatever other actions you've been taking . . . look at you Steph!" I curled her into my chest, I could feel her face got hot against my arm under her. "It's ok, I'll help you gain it back." She fell asleep wrapped against my body, the way it should always be.


	17. Planning Shopping and Leaving

Stephanie gained back some of the weight after just a few weeks, and after a few months I started to recognize her as the Stephanie I'd met in class on the first day of school and fallen in love with. I watched her a little more carefully around the house. "Hunter, its June."

"Our wedding is just under a year away." I finished for her on the couch one night. Her head was in my lap, eyes closed, comfortable. "We still have time to work the little kinks out."

"I need a dress."

"I have a tux."

"We need flowers."

"We have a hall."

"We need caterers."

"I got invitations made."

"We need music."

"I know a band."

"I need a maid of honor."

"I have my best man."

"Shawn?" I nodded rubbing her hair with my palm. "Do you think Rebecca would mind? It's just that, ever since the fiasco with my attempted suicide, everybody at school thinks I'm crazy, she's my only real girl friend."

"I think she'll love it." My legs were falling asleep, but I was so content with her head there that I didn't care. "Stephanie, let's discuss something less stressful, like the honeymoon." A smile crept across her face. "That's what I think too. Where?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does, we have to buy postcards and pretend like we've seen the places on the front. We need to PhotoShop ourselves into pictures."

"Why?"

"Ha, you think we're leaving the room. You'll get used to the concept of a honeymoon closer to the wedding." I wrapped one arm under her head. "Maybe I can show you some of the perks right now." She giggled; something in that giggle had always triggered me. A sexual reaction. I decided that if we made it to the bed it wouldn't be a real taste of the honeymoon. So I pulled us to the floor, resting her on my hips. She leaned down to kiss me, breaking us apart to remove my shirt. I was heated, warming her thigh through my sweats. She could feel it, probably see it in my eyes, as well as around the crotch of my pants. She was holding herself up, trying to keep from letting things go too far. My fingers rolled her shirt up a little higher with each movement of our lips before removing it from her body completely. The lights were still on, the TV mumbling in the background. She rubbed herself out of her jeans, sliding my sweats to my ankles and giving me space to kick them off. "Still on the pill?"

"Yeah." She rubbed her lips on my neck, chest and abdomen before removing our undergarments at the same time.

She panted against my neck later that evening. Her arms still shaking from our rendezvous. I wrapped her up in a bear hug, getting up slowly; careful not to move her from the near sleeping state she was in. I laid her down on the bed, crawling next to her with my arms around her tightly. "Goodnight baby." She was out cold already, I was nearing it.

Her summer vacation started up a few weeks later; I took two days off to spend with her before she left on a camping trip with her family. It was tradition, and I would be joining them the next year. It would be postponed until after the wedding and honeymoon so we would be married and allowed to share a tent. Mrs. McMahon was still really tender about me touching her daughter. Stephanie was going to be gone for ten days, I didn't really trust myself to be without her that long. I feared I would do something stupid and lose her to a mistake.

On my first day off I stayed home with her, cooked dinner, we ate by candlelight. A true romance. Stephanie was excited by every single touch that night. I enjoyed every minute of being with her. Every second of holding her. "Hunter, are you ok with me leaving? I mean, ten days is a long time in man years."

"I probably won't leave the house except for work, where I'll mope around because of how much I miss you, how much I need you. I'll get pick me up offers at work, that won't be nearly as appealing as you, gain weight from eating mass amounts of happy foods, scratch myself on the couch, grow chest hair and a full beard, sleep in my jeans and eat an entire bag of potato chips in one sitting." I wrapped my arm around her in bed while we watched Adult Swim. "Oh, I forgot to mention cry." My grip loosened. "I'll get over it, when you come back." She smiled, rolling to have her back to me. "You tired baby?"

"Very." She closed her eyes, from what I could see over her hair. "Tomorrow is my day of surprises, I better rest up if I'm going to fit them all in one day." She yawned and nuzzled against my arm before starting to snore gently.

Her day was full of surprises, a walk in the morning, lunch, and some lingerie shopping. She tried on these cute little outfits that had my heart racing and my pants tightening. She bought a few things, with my credit card, and promised me a fashion show one night after her trip. I was amused the entire day. She seemed worn down after half, clutching her stomach every now and then and complaining of a headache. "You ok there Steph?"

"Yeah, just, ya know, girl stuff." I kissed the tip of her head and rubbed my hand across her abdomen.

"Like, what kind of girl stuff, the kind I have to stress about, or I get to thank God for?"

"Which is which?"

"I was a little vague, I would stress about pregnancy, but I would thank God for a baby. I guess, are you on your period or pregnant?" I whispered in Target.

"The first one." She chuckled. "There's no way in hell I could be pregnant right now." I kissed the tip of her chin and walked with her. "So my dad has already spent that money he came into." She swung her hand with the tune I was swinging mine in. "Can you believe that? 25,000 dollars, gone in like four months!"

"I don't get how he could do it, or how he got it in the first place."

"Some kind of contract deal, like a bet, and he won." She shrugged. "Whatever it was, they're living nice right now." I laughed and helped her into the truck.

They left a week later, I was alone, I was tired, and I was afraid to make the mistake I'd never not made before. I tried to keep busy, and I did most of what I'd told Stephanie I'd end up doing. By day eight of ten, I was ready to crawl under a rock and die. "Shawn, dude, help. Can we go out? Like, get drunk or just go for a run, or a work out, or to the library? Something?"

"That lonely huh?"

"Yes, I admit it, I can't live without her, can we do something now?" Shawn laughed a little.

"Come on over, Rebecca's gone too, we can watch a movie, or go to a movie, or a bar." I hung up and put on my shoes. I decided taking the truck would remind me of Stephanie, it smelled like her perfume. I threw my sweatshirt over my head and started in a light jog. By the time I reached Shawn's house I was out of breath and sweaty, but the first thing on my mind was a shower, not Stephanie.


	18. Thinking Positive

School started up again in the fall, the year droned on with last minute plans being made the entire year round, Stephanie tried to pretend she was stressing about exams when it came to the end of the year, but she talked in her sleep about the wedding. I woke her up on July 4th with breakfast. "Good morning, Independence Day is going to have a whole new meaning today Stephanie."

"Why?" She asked rubbing her eyes, sniffing the pancakes.

"It's one of our last independent days." I kissed her forehead and took one of the two forks from the tray. "Are you nervous?"

"Jittery, not so much nervous. You?"

"Excited." I stuffed my face with nearly half a pancake and drank my glass of milk. "I gotta go make sure my tux still fits. See you later baby girl."

"I gotta make sure I'll still fit in my dress." She didn't seem like she was joking.

"Steph, if anything you've lost weight." She shrugged. "I'll be home in a half hour or so, gonna go see how Shawn looks in his." Stephanie was really spaced out, pretending to concentrate on Gilmore Girls reruns. I let it go, decided it was just pre-wedding jitters, like she'd said.

"Hunter, yours fits, mine's a little small."

Shawn spun around, the tux grabbed at his butt, making him look like he was walking with watermelons in his pants. I grabbed a bigger size pant from the shelf, "try these on you dork." He came back out in a few second, looking much more comfortable. "That's better, let's rent it, you won't wear it for another like ten years." I paid for it, this time I didn't have to spend _my_ money, I was spending Vince's, and I was ok with that. "Something was wrong with Stephanie this morning dude."

"Like what? Oh my God, was her dress too small?"

"No, not that, she was just, sad, or scared or something."

"Rebecca got that way before the wedding. Its ok, she'll get over it." Shawn patted me on the back. "Now where?"

"Freakin' Target, she forgot to buy ribbon for some damn thing, needs green and blue. Something for her mom." I walked down the sidewalk to the Target next door. "Then we can go home, I think I should be with her. She's really freaking out." I put up with a flirting courtesy clerk at Target, a singing homeless guy in the parking lot, and a motorcyclist cutting me off on the freeway. I dropped Shawn off at his car, in the Wal-Mart parking lot a mile from the Target.

When I got home, I could hear the sobbing noises coming from the bedroom, I didn't know what to expect, Stephanie cried over lots of things. "Baby, are you ok?" I sat next to her and stroked her hair, wet with tears and sweat, clinging to her face. "Stephanie, this is a time to be happy! Are you happy?" She pulled what appeared to be a misshaped marker from her bathrobe pocket and laid it on a magazine. "Did you look at it?" I rubbed my fingers along her spine.

"No, I couldn't."

"Don't cry until we know ok, I'll probably cry either way." I picked it up and saw the smiley face. "That means . . ." I turned the box over. "Pregnant." I felt my body loosen beneath me, my chest was shaking at a harder rate than my limbs. "Ok, well we can do this, I mean the wedding is in two weeks, is anybody going to be really keeping track?" I pulled her head to my shoulder and rubbed her waist length hair through my fingers. Stephanie was crying too hard to answer me. I got up and threw the test away, along with the box and came back to her. "Lay down honey." She nearly collapsed onto my chest as soon as I hit the mattress.

"What do I do? What are we going to do?"

"We are going to be parents. It's ok, I'm doing it different this time, I'm engaged before pregnant, getting married before there's real evidence, of the physical, noticeable sort." Stephanie's breathing settled a little, her shaking stopped momentarily.

"What if it's a girl?" I gulped, that wasn't something I'd thought about yet. "Will you be able to handle it?" My hand crawled up her shirt to thumb below her ribs.

"Stephanie, it'll be ok, rough, but ok. I can do it. I promise." I clutched to her, sadly recalling on the times I'd spent with Sarah.

"What was she like?" My throat caught a lump.

"She was gorgeous, with a laugh that could turn my deepest frown to a smile. She loved bear hugs and macaroni and cheese. She could feed herself at nine months and walk at thirteen. She loved to have me hold her, didn't trust her mother. Smart child I guess. Didn't deserve her fate." I was scared and it showed. Stephanie wasn't exactly sure of herself either. "We can do this, I mean, we'll be married soon, a baby won't be so bad." I continued to rub my hand across her abs.

"I'm still scared."

"You can be, you're gonna change, body-wise, health-wise, and emotionally."

"Will you still love me when I'm all big and pregnant?"

"I'll still love you. I'll always love you." I kissed her neck and pulled her to lay completely above my body. I kissed her lightly, rubbing my hands down her back, stopping to caress her stomach. "You'll be getting babied by me." I kissed her neck and stopped. "I love you."

"I love you too." I let her roll to my side while I held her, I didn't want to let go. "What will my parent's say? Pregnant before the wedding."

"I'll be there when you tell them, it's my responsibility too. It's even my responsibility to be there, and to let you cry on my shoulder if it doesn't go well. How do you think it will go?"

"My mom will be angry, my dad will lose it." She was rubbing her back, wincing. The cleaning we'd done around the house along with the stress from finding out she was pregnant was getting to her. I rolled her onto her stomach and started to work out the stiff muscles as I had done for her many times in the past. She shivered as she started to fall asleep. I kissed the back of her neck before she started to drift off. I got up and started cooking dinner. She wandered out of the bedroom almost an hour later. "Smells good." She walked between me and the stove, sniffing the sautéing onions in the pan. "I'm really hungry."

"Eating for two." I commented. "I was gonna allow you to drink wine tonight, guess you'll have juice in a wine glass." I winked and slid my apron above my head. "Candlelight, or by light of ESPN?"

"ESPN." She took her plate and settled into the couch. I grabbed two pretty glasses that Stephanie picked out at Bed Bath & Beyond, filled one with grape juice and the other with Merlot and sat next to her on the couch. "I'm taking it the purple one is mine." I nodded and reached for the remote. She ate her food slowly, turning a little bit of a greenish hue every now and then, but continuing to eat through it.

"It's ok princess." I rubbed her shoulder lightly. "Drink your juice." I took our plates into the kitchen and returned, she fell into her position, head on my leg. I was supposed to put my hand on her thigh, but that night, and every night after I slid it just a tad bit higher and laid it on her stomach.


	19. Convincing

It was a week to the day before the wedding, we were standing in the driveway outside Stephanie's parent's house. "I don't see why we don't wait until after the wedding."

"That's lying, they'll get madder that we kept it from them, don't you think?"

"If you say so, but if I get asked to have another talk with your father in his study, I'm gonna shoot myself." I slid my arm down Stephanie's back and patted her stomach. She was often sick now, I just prayed that she didn't get sick before we told her mom. "Your mom doesn't like me much."

"She likes you, she's just uncomfortable with the age difference, and how 'willing' I am with you. What I allow you to do, if only she knew what you allowed me to do." I blushed a little standing there next to her. I knew what she talking about, I just hoped Linda didn't. "Let's do this before we chicken out and go home." She folded her arms over her chest, I could see the color drain from her face. She rapped her knuckled at the door, and fell back onto my shoulder. "Hey dad." Vince stuck his hand out and shook mine, and hugged Stephanie, the same greeting it'd always been. We sat on the loveseat across from Vince's chair, and Linda's recliner in the living room, were offered drinks and coffee cake, both of us declined kindly. My arm was around Stephanie lightly resting my hand on her shoulder.

"To what do we owe this visit?" Vince sipped the glass of water he'd been holding since we walked in the door. "Is the wedding still on?"

"I bought a new dress, its light pink." Linda stated, finally looking content with seeing us together.

"Well, mom, dad, there is something we wanted to tell you." She looked to me unsettled. "Hunter, I can't do this." She whispered and laid her head back, a tear fell before she closed her eyes, and when she did she pushed two more through. "You tell them."

"Umm, Mr., Mrs. McMahon, Stephanie and I . . . are expecting a baby." Vince's face fell slightly and Linda looked as if she was going to faint. "Are you ok?" Stephanie was turned against my shoulder, crying steadily. I rubbed my hands across her back and kissed her lightly. "Baby, it's ok." Vince moved to the other side of her, brushing her back with his fingers. "Steph, your dad isn't even mad." I winked; he looked pissed as hell, but was calm enough to care for his hurting daughter.

"We need to talk." He scowled.

"I figured." I continued to calm Stephanie, until Vince dragged me off and she was left to be consoled by her mother.

"Are you guys really ready for this?"

"Vince, if you remember I had a child before, I'm ready for this, I have experience with this, and I'm ok with it." I interlinked my fingers and laid them in my lap. "The only thing it would keep us from is drinking on the honeymoon, but she's not old enough to do that anyway," I caught what I said, for the first time ever I was understanding Linda's age issue. "Holy shit, she's not old enough to drink." I leaned back in my chair. "Jesus, I'm old."

"I'm ok with the age difference, you've always been good to her. And you don't drink that much, do you? Will it kill you not to have the option of drinking on the honeymoon?"

"I don't drink much, and I don't get drunk ever, not since before she moved in. The last thing I drank in front of her was a glass of wine on the fourth, and only because I was going to let her have a glass too, but she found out she was pregnant and she had juice in a wine glass instead."

"So she's known for a week huh?"

"We both have." Vince had two chairs and a desk in his study. Both chairs were leather, the desk had a top of the line computer sitting to the left and a pile of papers that differed in height day to day on the right. "Vince, she brought up a good point, if the baby's a girl, I'm going to have one hell of a time not thinking about Sarah. I want this baby, I want her, but I'm worried."

"You'll never get over losing a child, like you said the first time I formerly met you, it's a horrifying experience. Especially when you have time to connect to the child, when you get to know them, but you'll do ok raising another one." Vince pulled my Christmas present to him from the drawer and drank it straight from the bottle. "I'm sure you want a little."

"No thanks, but I'll help myself to a beer in the fridge if you don't mind." I wandered back out to the living room, Stephanie had calmed down, her mom was back to sitting in her recliner watching some soap opera. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a can from the fridge before setting on the loveseat next to my fiancée. "Feeling better?" I wrapped her in a hug sitting down, which took a talent we both possessed.

"Yeah, I just, I wanna go home." I looked at the unopened can of beer and sighed. I placed it back on the shelf and said my goodbyes before hopping in the truck and driving us back to our house.

"It went that bad huh?"

"What did my dad say to you?"

"Oh, nothing really, just talked about us and how we were going to have to be careful on our honeymoon because you're pregnant. Wants to make sure I don't let you overexert yourself." She sighed in the passenger seat. "Are you ok with this? This whole parenting thing?" She wiggled a little in her seat. "Stephanie, I'll take care of you. I mean it would have been nice to have some time to ourselves, to be married, but it's been a year that we were living together and I'm content with that. We've had our alone time then, and it's fine. I love you, I'll love this baby. Don't worry, Steph, not about that anyway."

"What about my life then? What if I wanted to go on to college, or start a career, not just jump into the family thing right after high school?"

"Stephanie, this can't be fixed, it's not like when I made mistakes in class and I could erase them, or writing in pencil. We're going to be parents, both of us, which means you have back up, you're allowed a day off now and then, you're allowed to sleep in on Sundays, unless you decide the child should have a church education. And I'll be allowed to watch Man United on Thursdays. ok? I know it sounds like a hell of a thing to go through, and it is when you do it alone."

"Did you take care of Sarah alone?"

"For awhile, before her mother thought it would be best if she went with her to Arizona." Stephanie rolled down her window and stuck her head slightly through it. "You gonna be sick baby?"

"Not yet, I just need the air." I rubbed my hand on her thigh; we were almost home, good thing too. She didn't quite hurl, but it didn't look good. "Come on in honey, lay down, I'll get you some juice." She stood in the hallway smiling at me. "What?"

"I'm so lucky Hunter; I mean you made me forget everything that ever happened with Chris, everything that happened with Mike."

"I know about Chris, and remember baby, he's old news. But who's Eric?"

"Oh, shit, I never did tell you did I?" She fell back on to the bed and pulled a pillow to her chest. "Eric, is, was, my older brother."

"Was?"

"He was killed, four years ago."

"You were young then,"

"Fourteen, old enough to get it, and to mourn it, and to live it."

"What happened?"

"Car accident, the other driver wasn't sober. He tested positive for cocaine." Stephanie pulled herself up and leaned on me. "I know you know what its like to lose someone close to you, someone you love, its hard Hunter, and I still think about him from time to time."

"I think about Sarah too." I hugged her, pulling her back down. "I just have to think of something pleasant to take me away from those memories, like our honeymoon cruise we're taking next week. That's enough to drag me away." I kissed her neck and roamed my hand up her shirt, tickling her lightly with my thumb, paying some attention to my unborn child. "You hungry?"

"I could live for awhile like this before we have to eat. I don't think we'll starve if we take a nap." I chuckled and left my hands where they were, under her hand and above her stomach.


	20. White Wedding, Hazordous Honeymoon

White Wedding my ass, my wedding stopped looking like something from one of Stephanie's bridal magazines and more like something from an after school special when Shawn walked in with an eye patch on. I'd learned to never ask questions when it came to Shawn's ideas of accessories so I rolled my eyes in the mirror and finished up my tie. Stephanie decided we needed all the luck we could get, so her and her brood of bridesmaids and her mother were all tucked away in the ladies bathroom, unable to come out unless they hid Stephanie from the mirror so I wouldn't see her in her dress until the big moment.

I was slightly nervous, the kind where you notice your left eye twitching slightly in the mirror ever so often, and your hands are shaking _just _enough that being a guy, with large fingers and long hair, you have difficulty putting it up nicely for the wedding. Shawn was the opposite, he was sitting still, amazing, reading, even more amazing, and sometimes adjusting his eye patch, not so strange, after what else I'd seen Shawn do. I peeked at him in the mirror, wondering why in the hell he'd decided to ruin Stephanie's big day with that fucking THING he'd wrapped around his head. "Ok, Shawn, this time I can't let it off easy this time, why in the holy _hell_?" I didn't need much of an explanation as to what I was asking about, there were many things about Shawn that would aspire that question to be asked, but at the moment, the only visible one was the eye patch.

"Doc says, just following orders." He straightened the band and went back to his Sports Illustrated.

"Guess the other question is _how_?"

"Me and Rebecca were playing around the other night, nothing kinky or anything," I stopped his to cross myself; Shawn just said 'kinky' in a church. "And she pushed me over, I guess I was supposed to take it like a man, but I hit my eye on a pen cap, doc says I've got a good little shiner, and the eye shouldn't be exposed to light, so for two days I get to rock an eye patch." HE shook his head excitedly. "I look like a pirate dude, chicks love pirates."

"You're married! Dude, remember, not that long ago I sat where you're sitting, reading a magazine, making you nervous. I didn't 'rock an eye patch' to your wedding, and you're so not 'rocking' one to mine!" I was slightly yelling, just loud enough that I could hear heads turn in the grand room. "Take it off."

"I'll go blind."

"I'll pluck out the other eye if you don't take it off." I hit him on the back of the head with a magazine.

"You could be causing damage to my retina ya know."

"Bro, you don't even know what a retina is." I walked down the aisle and took my spot near the altar. The song we'd chosen to play for the bridesmaids played and Shawn took his spot next to me. "You left it on."

"Hey, I wanna be able to see the bride man." He winked at Rebecca with his good eye, which didn't look like much, just like he was blinking.

All heads turned and everyone stood when the Wedding March began to play and Stephanie took arms with her father at the end of the corridor. She was beautiful, her white gown flowing, stopping just before hitting the ground. Her shoes were heels, pointy lift with an open toe. Her breasts had grown since we found out she was pregnant, but they were still right sized enough to fit in the dress properly. When Vince reached me at the end of the hall, and I took Stephanie's hands, I couldn't help but notice a small tear fall from his eye. Stephanie folded her hands in mine, shaking with nerves. I followed procedure, although I wished I could hug her and hold her right then and there. We said our vows and our I dos and I lifted the veil to kiss her. She put her hands on my arms, afraid to lean too far forward in the uncomfortable shoes. Her dad came to talk to me at the reception, I sat across from him and took a big swallow of my champagne.

"It was harder than I thought to give her away."

"Vince, you can trust me."

"Has she been to a doctor yet? Like a prenatal appointment?"

"Yes, everything is fine, she's taking vitamins and everything." Stephanie came up from dancing with Shawn and wrapped her arm around my shoulders, I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her cheek.

"Princess, can you go find your brother, I need to finish up talking to the groom here." I pulled her back for a second to whisper in her ear.

"Just think we're getting rid of him for a week baby." Once she left us Vince went back to making me mad.

"You guys moved so fast, I mean you spent the night after your first date with her. And she stayed with you next."

"And you allowed her to stay for a month with me. You pushed for it."

"You slept with her during that time."

"Only because she said it was ok, if she would've said no, like she had so many times before I would've done what I always did, walked away. That night I would've cleaned up the smoking cookies she had set aflame in the kitchen."

"You asked me if she could move in soon."

"You said yes, we came to Christmas."

"You told my mother for Christ's sakes."

"She likes me just fine. She's even here; she's over there, grinding against my Uncle Hebert." Vince looked down, afraid to look behind us and confirm my statement. "Stephanie and I are married, but we will be there, every holiday, and pop by visits all the time. Especially after the baby comes, you'll want to see it right?"

"Of course, and I want to see her, I'm just not ready for her to move away."

"Its hardly away, I only live like four miles away Vince." He shook his head. "Is it something else?"

"No, just take care of her Hunter."

"I don't have any other plans." I stood up and chased my bride down. "I love you baby, but its time to go, on our honeymoon." I kissed her tightly, not wanting to pull away. "That's our limo." I pointed through the doors and wrapped her in my arms. "Let's say our goodbyes. I can't wait to get next to you in our hotel room." I pressed my lips against her hair and followed her around the room to bid our adieus. I held Stephanie on my lap in the limo, kissing her repeatedly on the way to the hotel. She whimpered every time I touched her, but it wasn't the normal scared or worried whimper, it was a very affectionate erotic noise, that made me not want to wait till the hotel room. I pulled her hair from the pretty up do and continued to work my hands through her hair until we pulled into the parking lot. I carried our bags into the lobby and was told a bell boy would bring them up shortly, I picked Stephanie up and ushered her to the bed. "Wedding night, finally."

"It's not like we've never done this before, why are you so excited?" I didn't answer her. I rolled her onto her stomach and began to unzip the dress. I kissed the backs of her shoulders and rubbed her back with my knuckles. I was able to pull a few sounds from somewhere inside her, the rest of the night is gone.

The next morning we boarded a plane, and then a ship that would be where we spent our honeymoon. I cuddled with her before dinner, kissed her all day, if it weren't for meals we never would've left the room. That night at dinner I noticed some odd behavior, and couldn't help but be suspicious. I wrapped my arm around Stephanie to keep her from turning around and seeing what I was seeing. One of the guys laid a pistol on the table and smiled. I finished my meal and ate half of Stephanie's desert, just to speed things along. I ushered her back to the room and locked the door, setting the chair in front of the lock. Stephanie went into the bathroom to shower and I sat on the bed. waiting. Stephanie wanted to take a nap when she got out of the shower, and I pulled my bride to the side opposite the door, so I could act as a barricade in case anything went wrong.

That night was uneventful after the little gun show at dinner. Stephanie fell asleep early and slept all night. I stayed up for a long time waiting to hear noises. Stephanie was tired the next morning, complaining that I kept her up with my tossing and turning. I had been awake and I knew that she'd been sleeping like a log all night. We went to breakfast, but not without my concealed permit and a pocket knife clipped to my belt, hidden by my t-shirt. The weirdoes were right behind us again, assigned seating sucks. I kept a close watch on Stephanie, not leaving her there, or letting her go much of anywhere by herself. We went to the swimming pool on the top deck for some fun in the sun time, and a little make out session, I kissed her that day like I might not ever kiss her again. I held her hands and rubbed her belly, that wasn't even showing in her bikini. I kissed her stomach a few times holding her up above the water to do so. Every time I lifted her she giggled, which made me want to go back to the room and hold her. I was scared shitless and trying not to show it. I kissed her shoulders and pulled her form the pool. She laid in my arms on a pool chair. I hugged her close, although her bikini string was wet against my chest, and cold. I walked her back to the cabin and lie with her. Hugging her close with the chair next to the door again. Stephanie didn't even ask questions, she probably thought that I just wanted to make sure we were going to get our time alone.

That night was eventful, Stephanie was pulled away from the door like normal, my arms around her, my eyes open, I wasn't going to be sleeping and I knew it. I kissed her every now and then even though she was sleeping. A little after midnight I heard the first pop, it shook the room and woke Stephanie up with a start. "What was that?"

"Somebody's opening champagne bottles. Nothing to worry about." I held onto her and let my thumbs push back her shirt. There was no way in hell I was going to lose a second child. The pops continued, someone was emptying a clip down the hallway. The noises started getting closer, and I leaned up to make sure our door was locked. I didn't want to leave Stephanie out of my arms, if I was going to be killed I wanted to be with her, but I got up slowly and quietly, checking the bathroom door and placing my suitcase in front of it, and Steph's in front of the front door. I crawled back in bed with her to hold her tightly. A single shot let out in the room next door, and our knob started jiggling. I wrapped Stephanie under me, she grunted with the sudden amount of weight pressing into her back. I lifted slightly, not wanting to hurt the baby, just shield them both. She was awake now, had been since the first gunshot went off down the corridor. I was holding onto her, holding myself together from tearing up. "It's ok baby." I mumbled rubbing her spine with my fingers, trying to hold myself up one handed.

"Hunter,"

"Shh." I murmured. "Wait a minute." Our door was left after they couldn't get it open, even after an attempt at shooting the lock off. "It's ok now baby." Next door I heard the sound of a gun clicking, out of ammo. I rolled from above her and kissed her wildly. I reached for the phone next to the bed and called Shawn. "Dude, call 911, tell them all the information you've got on the ship we're on and to send a helicopter en route to us, immediately. I'll call you in twenty minutes for a 10-20 on the copter." Shawn was calm, no questions asked, just called the cops and I called him back, untangling myself from a crying Stephanie to do so. The flyer would be there within a few hours, all I had to do right then was hold onto Steph and pray. I kissed her roughly, I wanted to have her one more time in case the fucktards came back. I rolled above her and skimmed my hands up her night shirt, my shirt that she just wore to bed. I'll never understand why I think that's so sexy, but it is. I pulled it away from her body and kissed her bare chest. She whined softly, pulling me back up to kiss her. "The only problem with wanting you so bad right now, you have to be quiet, somewhat quiet." She continued to breathe heavily but was semi quiet while I finished undressing her.

Once we were finished and I wrapped my arms back around her, I noticed that she was tearing up. "Hunter, what would they have done to us?"

"Stephanie, baby, I told you that they were opening champagne bottles. They probably wanted us to join the party." I kissed her neck.

"You called Shawn and he called 911, that wasn't champagne was it?"

"I'll explain later, for now, I just want to continue what I'm doing right now." I rubbed her arms and settled my hands on her abs. "We need to get dressed here pretty quick, we killed almost an hour right there." I folded my hands across her stomach and waited another ten minutes before getting dressed again. "The flight should be here in just a little while, we need to be quiet, and I don't want you leaving the room without me, we're going to have to do something strange." I stopped and pulled her up. "I'm going to carry you through the hallway and onto the landing. You'll have to hold on because I'll be running." She dressed in a pair of sweats and a tight top. It caught my attention and I had to pull myself away from eyes her breasts. "Let's go." I lifted her up and opened the door. It seemed clear, but I hauled ass anyway. Nobody had come out yet, not even survivors from other rooms, I figured that if there were any they would come out when the heard the helicopter. We made it to the landing, the top deck, whatever you want to call it, just as the helicopter got to hovering above us. "Come on, over here, I whispered in Stephanie's ear, dragging her across the deck. Once they were down a guy in a Kevlar vest got out and pulled us closer.

"Get on! How many are left?" He yelled over the sound of the propellers.

"I don't know. At least three with weapons. Get her up and I'll go down with you, you packing Kevlar?" He pulled one from inside the whirly and sized it up to me. I got dressed in the vest and kissed Stephanie. "I love you." She nodded and whispered it back, trying to hold herself together. "It's ok now baby, I promise." I kissed her again and ran back to the man from the plane. "Hunter Helmsley, former cop. You packing heat too?" The officer unclipped a second weapon from his belt. "Are we sticking together, or are we splitting?" He pointed one direction for himself and another for me. I took off down the hallway, stopping at every door, kicking them open like a pro. Before that night I'd seen corpses, but never as many, I counted 11 dead on my side, and two badly injured, too badly injured. I was looking for one's lively enough to get them back to the copter, without much assistance. Finally towards the end of the hall there, I kicked open a door and found a little girl holding her father. "Hi, little one, my name is Hunter, I'm going to take you to the plane, is this your daddy?" She nodded, holding his head in her lap. Can I touch him?" I took the sheet from one of the two twin beds in the room and touched his neck, searching for a pulse. There was one, unsteady, but there. "Ok, sweetie, you're going to walk with me, I'm going to carry your dad to a helicopter like Harold from Thomas the Train. I picked up her dad and slung him over my shoulder. The little girl grabbed my pant leg and walked with me to the landing. "Get on!" I yelled, following her up. "This one's been hit, he's her father, do your best." I rubbed the girls head and pointed to Stephanie. "That's my wife, you can go sit with her, I'll be right back." I ducked back and continued on my hunt. The officer found three more, there hadn't been many of us on the cruise, but there was a total of 22 dead.

Stephanie cried into my neck the whole way back to shore. I rubbed her back and held the little girl on my lap.


	21. Blown Into Peace

We made it home safely, the little girl's father was going to live, thank God. He seemed overjoyed that I had taken care of his little one. Her name was Ashley and she drew me a picture of an angel. All I could think to say was thanks, and gave her a hug. Stephanie wasn't so well off, mentally at least, after she saw the guy shot that I loaded onto the flight that night, it freaked her out pretty good. "That's what they would have done haw?" It'd been a week, but I needn't press for information, we were on the same wavelength, I knew what she was talking about. "They would've shot us."

"Me, yeah, you probably not." We were at home, sitting on the back porch with lemonade in our hands. Stephanie wasn't worried about going back to school, she had graduated in June. I slid my arm around her and laid my other hand on her thigh.

"What would they have done to me?"

"It depends on who they thought I was. They were terrorists Stephanie, they would have taken you for torture, or bait. I don't want to think about what they would've done if you told them you were pregnant, they would've killed the baby, but kept you alive most likely." I squeezed her tighter. "I didn't want you to have to know that. I wanted to protect you for as long as I could."

"That was just as long as you could. I'm glad I know, and I can stop having the nightmares now." I rubbed my lips along her hair and laid back with her. "The baby wants cheese fries." I chuckled.

"Coming right up." I went into the house and began cooking.

"Hunter?" She asked a minute later. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, you know that."

"Do you want to know what it is? I mean if it's a girl, would you want the time to prepare yourself? Mentally? I mean we can worry about the nursery later, I don't care if the baby has to sleep in a white room for awhile, I worry about you." I stopped melting the cheese in the pan and turned to face her. She was just starting to show a little bit around the waist.

"Don't, I want this more than anything in the world, except you. I can handle it being a girl if it is. If you want to know for you, that's great, that's fine. I don't need to be surprised; I can't stand to be surprised. I want to know. Not to find out if it's a girl, but so we can go shopping for baby stuff in the corresponding colors."

"We have a few weeks to wait honey." She chuckled and stepped into my arms. "How're my cheese-fries coming?" I turned back and stirred the melting mozzarella in the pan. She gagged and turned away for a second. "I have one other question for you."

"Shoot."

"Why did the officer from the copter let you come back with him?" I paused, stirred the cheese again.

"See, Steph, there are one or two things you don't know about me, but this conversation is best to be held with Shawn and I both present. Take a seat; I'll bring your fries in a few."

"I'll call Shawn; I want to know what the big secret is." I grimaced, my past was to be kept a secret, as far as Shawn and I were concerned, both of our pasts were to be kept away from our wives. Stephanie sauntered back in holding the phone in her hand. "He'll be over, now that I mentioned cheese-fries." I wrapped one arm around her and slid the fries onto a plate. "You seem unhappy, or nervous."

"A little bit of both right now babe." I carried the plate to the couch and turned on the radio. Stephanie ate one or two of the fries, but decided to wait until Shawn came over to eat more, as to not be rude.

Shawn never knocks, never has, it wouldn't be shocking to me if he would've walked into my bathroom without knocking. It's not that he's inconsiderate, he's just a pig. Neither I nor Steph was shocked when the door swung open and Shawn pulled the plate from the coffee table. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked with his mouth full. "Cause I have a job to do in an hour, I got a new one, some bouncer position or something." He stood up, placed the plate back on the table, scratched himself, and went to search the fridge for beer.

"She wants to know about our pasts man." I stated after he took his seat back.

"Shit." His lips were still against the rim of the Coors Light can. "Are we telling her?" Stephanie was still sitting next to me on the couch, Shawn and I were just talking over her.

"I don't see why not, it's not like she didn't get a little snapshot on the ship."

"Fine, you start."

"Fine then, it was a year after we got out of high school. Shawn wanted to go into the military, as did I, but that wasn't an option. Shawn's dad was very strict about what he could, and couldn't do, and ever since Shawn's uncle went overseas his mother had been a wreck. See, Shawn's uncle didn't come back. Shawn and I decided that an alternative could be law enforcement. We started taking academy classes at the college, both of us graduated high in our class. We took positions at the department, both of us. We worked as partners for awhile, but I branched out. I got called up," Shawn shot me a death glare. "I wanted to be called up, I applied for the position."

"Position of what?" I looked back to Shawn.

"He wanted to be part of the bomb squad. He wanted to go into buildings and disarm explosives. Your husband is psycho. The only thing wrong with being crazy, is sometimes, most of the time, in that field, crazy works. He was the fastest fucker I've ever seen go in and come back out. Normally fast means sloppy. But, normal doesn't work with him." I nodded, crossing my arms. "See, Steph, have you seen Hunter without his shirt on, in the light?" I noticed my foot was tapping against my will. "Probably not, he's pretty careful about it, wears a shirt in the pool, takes it off, but puts a magazine across his chest or something when he gats out." I stroked Steph's hair. "See, shit happens in that world, like crazy mothafuckers coming around the corner strapped with more explosives and shooting themselves in the head." Stephanie leaned hard into my shoulder, I continued to stroke her hair, working farther down and rubbing her back. "Or, someone faking a bomb threat, so Hunter would come in, and get hurt." Steph's eyes followed my arm and met mine.

"How hurt?"

"Shot three times in the chest." Shawn answered for me. Stephanie shook her head in disbelief. I raised my shirt and allowed her to, for the first time, see the scars. "See, I was on duty that too, told to wait outside the building, and to not do anything stupid. I was always real good at doing stupid things. And that day I decided to see how good the battery was in my tazer. So I held it up to a cat that was just kinda walking by, I thought the battery was dead, and that it wouldn't do anything bad. But umm, I guess someone at the department must've charged, cause I shot the cat full of electricity. After I tazered the cat I stood back up and waited for a few more minutes for trouble, but there hadn't been any yet. Everything was going as planned. Hunter went in armed, and paged me from the room with the supposed bomb. He paged in that it seemed disarmed already, but he would step up and make sure. He radioed back to tell me about a noise, that the bomb was disarmed and that he would need backup. I went in first, after I kicked the cat to make sure it was still breathing," Shawn stared at his feet, stood up and started to act it out. "I pressed myself against the wall, guided by my gun into the single story house. Hunter was in the back bedroom, talking. It's always hard to tell with cops if he's talking someone else down, or talking himself back. When I got back there he was being held at gunpoint, I tried to be steady, and quiet. Hunter was talking to the guy, trying to talk him down. Telling him how it wasn't the right thing to do, that the madman would spend an endless amount of time in jail, and that Hunter would be leaving behind a wife and infant girl. I aimed for the guy, but the shots went off before I could get to him. Hunter was wearing a vest, but at point blank, those pieces of shit don't work well. I was lucky, my shot caught him in the head, he was the first shithead I ever killed. It sucked that he died, he didn't have to serve the time he'd earned with his little escapade."

"Steph, what Shawn is leaving out is this guy's name. Vladimir Koslov. A Russian foreign exchange student. He went to school with us, and one time, we put a frog in his locker." She looked at me angrily, I knew hat she was blaming me for getting shot now. "See, it wasn't aimed for him. He switched lockers with the guy next to him. Trust me, no one wanted to mess with Vladimir. He was some kind of human backboard. He was tall, and muscled like you wouldn't believe. Worse than that, he hated me. I don't know what I did to him, other than the frog in his locker thing. Which came way later in the "Let's Hate Hunter" campaign. I can't say that I was his biggest fan, but I was a lot nicer to him than he was to me, obviously. What he didn't get was, Shawn had to kill him. Once he pulled the gun on me, Shawn had no choice." I was careful to keep the strain from my voice. "He shot an officer, Steph, don't think that Shawn's a murderer."

"Why couldn't you tell me about this before?"

"I was afraid you either would have left, or hated Shawn."

"I probably would've hated Shawn, you killed someone Shawn." He hung his head and came to sit next to her.

"I know, and it's not like I don't feel bad about it. But I couldn't let the bastard kill Hunter." He wrapped his arm around her as well, and we sat like that, both of our arms around Steph. Shawn left about twenty minutes later, but not before using my bathroom to apply baby oil to his bare chest, he said it made him more muscular and not as old. Shawn was only a year older than me, which made him twenty six He pulled his hair back, hugged Stephanie and left.

"Are you ok with the fact that your best friend killed someone?"

"He killed a crazy guy with a death wish who shot me three times in the chest. Stephanie, I wasn't, no for a long time I didn't think Shawn would ever talk to me again. Because when I came to in the hospital, and Shawn told me what had happened, the first thing I said was thank you. Shawn was bent up about what he'd done, I was grateful. I felt like shit about it, and I hadn't even drawn my weapon." pulled her to lie on her back, with her head on my thigh. "I fell bad Steph, but it was a long time ago. It's over. I don't have that job anymore."

"How long were you a cop?"

"Just over a year. Then I went to subbing, and got a job at Olympic, and then at Los Lomas, where I met you and fell in love." I pulled her up to kiss her. "You tired?"

"I'm always tired." She rolled over and fell asleep in my lap. I watched cartoons and stroked her hair while she napped. "Baby, what happened to the cat?"

"You know Rosie, Shawn's cat that tends to walk in circles and drag it's left rear leg? That's the cat. She had good days and bad days, but sometimes you can't even tell she got volted, except for the tick, and the missing patch of fur. She's all good."


	22. Frights Frenzies Black Eyes and Babies

Stephanie was four months pregnant and worried. The baby hadn't kicked yet, and although she was showing, and ultrasounds heard a heartbeat, she was freaking out. She wasn't the only one, her dad was up my ass about it, there was nothing I could do. Some babies kick later than others I guess. All I could do was make sure Stephanie was comfortable while she was pregnant. Her nausea subsided earlier on, and the cravings escalated.

"Hunter, I'm scared." She whispered in the truck on the way to the grocery one afternoon. I pulled off the road and parked on the shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Stephanie, it's ok to be scared, trust me."

"What do you mean?

"I'm scared too. I didn't want to admit it to you, but I am worried. Not because the baby hasn't kicked yet, but because you scare me." She gave me a cross eyed look, between angry and nervous. "You're so tiny, so little in height, and you didn't weigh much, you still don't. You've put on weight with the baby, but not much. You don't have a high pain tolerance, and you're very sensitive. I'm worried. Don't get me wrong I think you'll be a great mother, I just don't see you ever wanting to be the bad guy. And I don't want to be either." She relaxed.

"I'm fine, Hunter, I'm scared that there may be something wrong with the baby." I noticed her face turn red, and her hands folding above her stomach. She lowered her head, and I reached for her hands. "I'm f-fine."

"Are you ok? What's wrong?" She was gripping her stomach, eyes closed. "Baby?"

"I think, I think I don't have to worry anymore." She smiled.

"It kicked? It kicked?" She nodded. "Is it still?" She nodded again and I rubbed my hand across her stomach until I found it. "Oh my God." I leaned over the center console and kissed her lovingly. I pulled back onto the road and drove more carefully than normal to the grocery. Stephanie was in charge of holding onto the cart when I was reaching up for things, I didn't allow her to push the cart after I got more than five pounds worth of stuff in it. She was happy, I could tell by the way she hummed while walking up and down the aisles. "Want ice cream?"

"No." I grabbed myself some Rocky Road and kept walking. "But maybe some cookies." I grabbed a box for her and tossed it in the cart. She stood close to me, but I could feel a definite change in her personality when we turned into the produce section. "Oh, crap." She ducked and tried to bury herself in my arm. I wrapped it around her, trying to push the heavy cart one handed.

"What?"

"Look," She lifted her head in the direction of a blonde haired man, about her age and another guy playing around near the zucchini. "It's Chris." I tightened my arm around her thickening waist.

"Who's he with?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to get close enough to find out." I kissed her head and gave her the keys.

"Go sit in the truck, I want to talk to him." I patted her back and watched her walk off to the truck. "Hey, Chris." He turned around, obviously startled by the voice.

"Mr. Helmsley, I thought you moved."

"No, Stephanie did, she moved in with me." Chris backed up into the lettuce. "We got married." I held my left hand, exposing the gold band around my ring finger. "Oh, forgot to mention I'm also expecting a baby. we're expecting a baby."

"Oh, that's nice, a family." The other guy he was with looked a little more worried that Chris did, kind of shaky, kind of girly, and lanky. "This is Randy, my, err, friend." Randy hand slid out of his sweatshirt pocket.

"Hi, nice to meet you."

"Yeah." I said back. Chris was still pressed against the produce, shaking. "You ok there dude?"

"Yeah, I'm fine it's just, it's legal for you to beat the shit out of me now, and I can't really stop you."

"You always were weak, does your, 'err, friend' here know what you did to my wife? Does he know that you used to beat the shit out of her, you convinced her to have sex with you, by threatening her? Does he know how mean you were, how torturous? How she broke up with you, because you were forceful in trying to get sex, which she didn't, couldn't give?" His 'friend' took a step back.

"Randy, b-, please, understand, it was a long time ago, I was angry back then, I was violent. Randy, you know I wouldn't. . ." He looked to me and scowled. "You want me o admit it don't you?" Chris reached behind him and grabbed a zucchini. "You want me to tell you that I and Randy are sleeping together." He hit me over the head with the vegetable and started throwing heads of lettuce in my direction.

"Fuck, shit," I pushed him back into the shelf and plucked leaves of lettuce from my shirt. He was still trying to pull away, but I had one foot on his ankles and one arm gathering his, still prettying myself back up. "Actually dude, I don't really give a shit about who you're sleeping with, as long as it's never Stephanie again, which, unless your tire swing goes all the way around the tree, I don't see that happening." I let go, but not without giving him one more swift punch. I knew he wouldn't be coming back to me, so I left, paid for the groceries and drove home. Reporting what happened back to Stephanie went well; it even got me a kiss.

The next morning was Stephanie's ultrasound, we were finding out what the baby was. Steph was nervous, as was I, but I was excited. We sat in the exam room waiting for Dr. Lopez. She was squeezing my hand lying back on the mat. I kissed her several times while waiting. "Good morning."

"Good morning Doc." We both said back. She took her stethoscope to Stephanie's stomach and listened.

"Good heartbeat, you and the baby." We smiled, ear to ear. "You ready to find out what it is?"

"Yes, please." Stephanie seemed anxious, but I continued to hold her hand.

"This is your baby." She pointed to the screen. "And congratulations, it's a girl." Stephanie immediately looked to me.

"It's ok Stephanie, I can do it." I stroked her hair and leaned down to kiss her again. "We can do it." She nodded, but she teared up all the same.

"You wanted a boy huh?" Stephanie shook her head 'no'.

"It didn't matter to us, he, he lost a girl." Dr. Lopez handed her a towel and let her wipe the gel from her stomach. "Let's go." We got back in the truck, holding hands like normal. When I pulled onto our street I noticed a car parked in front of our house. "Who's that?"

"I don't know." I got out, after asking Stephanie to stay in the truck "Can I help you?"

"It's me, Randy. From yesterday."

"Oh, hi, do you want to come in, are you ok?" I asked, when he got out of the car, his eyes was purple and swollen.

"Yeah, just I need to talk to someone; I got your address from the phone book. Is that Stephanie?"

"Yeah." I signaled her to come out of the truck. "Stephanie, this is Randy, he's a friend of Chris's." I took her hand and led Randy inside. "Take a seat." Randy sat in a wooden chair Shawn often sat in. "So what happened?" I pointed to his eyes. "Steph, baby, will you grab some ice?" She got up and went off to the kitchen. "He did it, didn't he?"

"Yes, I don't even know what I did. After we went home yesterday, I unloaded the car and he called his mother. When he came out he started making passes, trying to get me to sleep with him again. I wasn't into it, not after what I heard from you. And he hit me." Stephanie handed him the ice and sat ext to me on the couch.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I think so, I'm just gonna go back to my mom's house and crash in the basement. I really liked Chris, I just don't get it." Stephanie squeezed my arm. "You got lucky ma'am, marrying a guy like him. He seems really sweet." I wrapped my arm around her affectionately. "Thanks for the ice. I just, I just wanted to talk."

"No problem, take care of yourself."


	23. Welcome Home Ashley

"Welcome home." I whispered to a sleeping Ashley, we had a carrier car seat and I helped Stephanie in holding the seat one handed. We set the baby in the seat on the coffee table and admired her silently. I wrapped my arm around Stephanie and rocked the baby back to sleep a few times. "I love you Stephanie." She smiled, I took the ring from my pocket and slid it back on hers. "No honeymoon this time. I don't need anymore surprises." She leaned up and kissed me. Ashley look like her, with my eyes and lips. Everything else was her momma's.

"She's perfect Hunter." I rubbed Ashley's foot inside the little tiny sock and nodded in agreement.

"Both of my babies are." I patted Stephanie's leg and rocked the carrier lightly until Ashley dozed back again.

"You're so good at this."

"It's simple, Stephanie, you haven't even touched her since yesterday." I picked Ashley from the carrier. "She needs changing, let's show you." Stephanie followed me nervously. "It's ok." I laid Ashley back on the table. "Unsnap her onesie." Stephanie did so. "Take the strips from the diaper, good, now gently, lift her up to remove it." She followed my instructions, shaking while doing so. "Good job, wipe her bottom, and put another diaper on her." She lifted Ashley from the table, cradled her in her arms. "You're great Steph." I kissed her and brushed my lips along Ashley's bald head. "Might as well sit down and hold her for a few." I guided Stephanie to the bed in the nursery, supporting her back while she held our daughter.

"So this is new motherhood."

"It's great isn't it?"

Months went by, Shane lived, went home with Vince and Linda to watch him. He admitted to using the cocaine, but not in hopes to end it. He didn't know how much he could handle at once. Ally was left with us for awhile. It was hard to balance my niece, and my newborn, and Stephanie felt it more than I did. When Ashley was four months old I was holding her on the couch and with Shawn. Rebecca and Stephanie were in the bedroom talking. Rebecca was a law student, close to graduating. Shawn wasn't himself. He was stupider than normal. Louder. "Hunter, do you remember Rosie? My cat?"

"The one you tried to kill with a tazer? Yeah I remember."

"I think we're having kittens."

"You got her fixed, after you shot her full of volts."

"Oh, then maybe just like mean." I laughed. "Damn. Hunter, do you have any Gas-X? I have the farts, like hell."

"No language in front of the kids ok dude? It's in the hall closet."

"Have you ever taken too much of this? I did one time and I couldn't go for like weeks." I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Higglytown Heroes. I was trying to eavesdrop on Stephanie and Rebecca, but I couldn't get anything over Shawn and the TV.

"What are they talking about in there?"

"Oh, nothing, you know, probably girl stuff or whatever." Shawn's a terrible liar.

"Shawn, you're a terrible liar." That was when it happened. That feeling I get when Stephanie cries. I can be miles away and feel it in my skin. "I gotta go in there." I laid Ashley down by Bella, the dog was very motherly towards her, Bella wrapped her front paw over Ashley's hand and put her head back down. Shawn blocked me at the door. "Go hold Ashley or something Shawn, if you can get Bella away from her." I walked in to find Stephanie crying, but signing papers. "What are these?" I took them from her, didn't snatch them, just pulled them from her hands. "Adoption papers? Stephanie we talked about this didn't we?" I dropped them on the floor and rushed out to grab Ashley. "No." I rocked her in my arms, holding as tight as I could without hurting her.

"It's not what you think Hunter."

"It seems pretty one way to me, you're giving her away." My voice cracked.

"No, we're taking Ally, we're adopting her." Stephanie picked up the papers and showed them to me. "See, we'll be her legal guardians. Shane's using again, he doesn't want her around him." I sat back and read the papers.

"Ally come here." She sat on my lap; I put one hand around her, using the other to balance the baby and the packet of papers. "Would you like Aunty Stephanie and I to be your mom and dad?"

"Where's my daddy?"

"He's away for awhile; you'll still see him at Christmas time and stuff, but you'll live with me and Aunty Steph." She nodded.

"What did daddy do?"

"He got in trouble, and then he got sick, he's still sick." I tried to tone it right.

"Will he get better?"

"Hopefully one day. He's not going to die or anything All, he's just not being good right now." I squeezed her. "You'll get to be like Ashley's big sister." She got excited about that and ran off to the room she shared with Ashley. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how you'd take it. You seem happy."

"I like Ally. She reminds me of Sarah." Shawn and Rebecca left, but as they were walking through the door Stephanie whispered tell him to Rebecca. "Tell him what?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Nuh-uh, come on, tell me."

"Ok, but you can't tell Shawn."

"What?" I sighed; it was never good if Shawn couldn't know.

"They're expecting a baby."

"Whoa, wait another one?"

"Yes, Rebecca found out last night, and double checked today. By the way, the pregnancy test in the garbage isn't mine, its hers." I jumped up still holding Ashley. "Hunter, you've seen Peter Pan right?"

"Umm, yeah, hasn't everybody?"

"Bella reminds me of Nana, look at her." Bella was nosing Ashley's toys into a corner, she slept in Ashley's room. I'd never seen the dog lick Ashley, she was very careful with her. Only ever a paw touching her, but we worried about was when Ashley starts to crawl. Will Bella think that she's a puppy? Try to play with her?

"You made a good choice, but Bella's a big dog, and Ashley won't be able to hold herself up if Bella knocks her over."

"She won't trust me."

That night while we were laying in bed, I heard noises, Bella heard them too, she barked incessantly until I calmed her down with a cookie. Ashley woke up and cried, Ally told Bella to 'quiet down' and allowed her to get in bed with her. The noises continued night after night, footsteps it sounded like. I started sleeping with a knife in my top drawer, it would've been a gun, but Stephanie wouldn't let me keep one in the house.

"Did you hear those noises last night?"

"Yeah, they've been going on a few nights in a row." I sipped my coffee, it was about six in the morning, just before I had to leave for work. "I keep a knife in the top drawer of my nightstand, keep it on you if you like. You don't need a permit in your own house." I stood up, kissed Stephanie and the two girls.

"Daddy," All eyes were on me. Ally just called me daddy. "Will you bring me home a pen from work?" I chuckled and leaned down to her height.

"Yes, I will. I'll bring you home if a dozen pens if you want." I hugged her tightly and walked out of the door. Stephanie followed me with Ashley in her arms. "She called me daddy."

"I don't think she really remembers Shane now. I mean she wasn't even three when we took her, and according to my dad Shame had been leaving her with them a lot."

"I gotta get her something. Some kind of gift, other than a pen. I'll bring home dinner or something. Or we'll take her to Chuck E. Cheese this weekend. We can leave Ashley with Shawn and Rebecca." I kissed her once again before climbing in the truck. "Take it easy, if you leave the house, lock everything, and go to Shawn's until I come home." I revved the engine and backed out of the drive. "See you later baby, love you." She waved and lifted Ashley's arm to wave at me too. "Bye little one, little princess."

Work went from 7:30am to 4:30pm. it was ok, as long as I was home to eat breakfast with the girls and tuck them in at night. Especially with whatever goings-on, going on. After work I stopped by a local guns and ammo store. "Cane I help you?" A young man, smacking gum, reading a Playboy with a Men and Their Toys magazine wrapped around it asked.

"Reading the articles huh?" I laughed. "I have a permit, concealed, and I need something small enough to hide from my wife. She don't like the idea of guns."

"What you want like a 9?"

"Whatever, listen, I don't give a damn, I've worked with everything. I just need something I can use to defend myself in the case that it comes to me defending myself."

"Policy, I gotta take you to the range first." He handed me what appeared to be a .22 and led me out the back door. I took aim at the paper body and shot, six times. I left one hole. "Jesus. Well, you got good aim, let's see that permit." I pulled a copy from my pocket.

"I just got it renewed." He looked it over and nodded.

"I can sell to ya, you want that one? You seem to have bonded."

"Yeah, how much for ammo?" We talked and I left the store the proud owner of a gun and a box of bullets. I called Stephanie in the truck, rounding the corner to our house. "Baby, you home or at Shawn's?"

"Shawn's I heard noises and I gathered the kids and the dog, we're here, sitting on the couch watching The Little Mermaid."

"I'll check out the house, have Shawn bring you over if I give the all clear." I pulled the gun from the glove box and wandered in. I took a position against the wall, pointing the gun in front of me. I was trying to be completely quiet, my fingers pressed against the trigger. I checked every bedroom, every room, under everything, in the closets, behind everything. Nothing seemed touched. The windows were locked, the door was locked when I pulled up. No one had been there.

Yet.

"It's all good to come home, get Shawn to give you a ride, how did you get there?" Stephanie had a car, but it was a piece of shit and didn't fit the car seats.

"Shawn." I sat on the couch and dropped two bullets from the gun. I locked it in a box and slid it under Steph's and my bed. "We're on our way."

"Ok, baby, see you when you get here." I hung up and walked to the kitchen. I pulled the pen from my pocket for Ally and tied a ribbon around it. Stephanie walked in, sniffed the air and walked into my arms, Shawn was carrying Ashley in. "Hey honey." I kissed the tip of her nose and slipped out of my apron. I leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Did she tell him?"

"Not yet." I piled food on her plate, I had made arroz con pollo for us and macaroni and cheese for Ally. Ashley had pears and a half bottle. Shawn stayed for a few minutes, waiting to hear any noises. "Thank you for the ride Shawn." Stephanie hugged him. so did Ally.

"See you tomorrow Steph." As soon as he was out the door I wrapped my arms around her tightly.

"What's wrong Hunter?"

"Stephanie I bought something today. Something you're not going to be happy about." She raised an eyebrow at me and leaned back onto the couch. "I bought a gun."

'What?! Why?"

"Why do you think baby, we have kids in this house now, Bella protective, but not if the other guy has a gun. Listen, I've packed before, you know that. I'm a great shot, and the only thing I'll use it for is defense, of myself or you and the kids." I stood up and pulled her to the bedroom. "It's small Steph, and it's in a box under the bed. It's locked, I have the combo to get in. The first two rounds are empty, so that the girls can't even come close to shooting anything." She fell back onto the bed and shoved a pillow over her face. "Princess." I leaned over her and pulled away the pillow. "I'm careful, you know that." I kissed her gently and pulled her up. "We still on for Chuck E. Cheese this weekend?"

"Yeah." I tucked the girls in and read Ally a story before crawling into bed with my arms wrapped tightly around Stephanie.

Around three am I heard the noises again, so I got up with a loaded gun in my hands. I stood in the kitchen and waited, nothing. I crawled back into bed, slid the gun back under the bed. I fell asleep, I mean I passed out. I was just done, the way I figured it, I had to be up in two and a half hours. "Hunter!" Stephanie was shaking me, Bella was barking in Ally and Ashley's room.

"What? Jesus, let me sleep."

"No, someone's here." I stood up and walked out of the door, there was no one in the kitchen.

"Bella, hush up." I started to the shower, giving up on sleep. IT was five o'clock, I only had a half hour left anyway. While I was washing my hair I heard a loud noise and Stephanie screaming. I ran out of the bathroom in my towel and tracked her down in the girls' room crying over Bella. "Fuck, what happened?"

"He killed her, he shot her."

"Who? What did he look like?"

"He looked, like you." I threw on some pants and left the house with the gun, I found the moron, chased to a 711, the sun hadn't even risen yet, I was running in the dark, chasing a guy with a loaded weapon down the street.

"What the fuck is this?" A cop got out of his car. "Helmsley?"

"Help out huh?" I panted, running right on the guy's heels. Officer Rodriguez got in his car and blocked off the end of the street. I rammed the idiot into the police car and held my elbow in his throat. "who are you?"

"My name is Steven, and I'm your brother."

"What the hell? No, I don't have any brothers."

"You have sister named Debra, right?"

"Yeah."

"And your mom's name is Joyce?"

"Yeah, you really are aren't you?"

"Yes. Hunter, I've been looking for you."

"Well, sneaking into my house with a gun, and shooting my dog aren't the right ways to find me. Load him up, cuff him, haul his ass to jail." I started back.

"It's not that easy Hunter, you know that." Officer Rodriguez followed after me. "Did he really shoot your dog?"

"Yeah, Stephanie's taking her to the vet right now, got the kids and my truck. Looks like I'm calling in sick today." I kicked a rock and continued to walk away. "I'll file a report later, just get him to holding."


End file.
